The European Refugee Crisis and the Reaction of Labour Market Actors: The Case of Denmark

Abstract

The term “the European refugee crisis” has been used to label various features resulting from a sharp increase since 2014 in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in Europe from, inter alia, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea. Much attention has been paid to issues such as the dangers involved in the travel of refugees and migrants (hereafter referred to as refugees) to Europe, the inability of the European Union (EU) to deal with the refugees in any united or coherent way, and the member states’ various responses at their individual borders. However, much less attention has been paid to the member states’ attempts to integrate those refugees who have been granted asylum into their labour markets. Although some EU member states are still struggling with high levels of unemployment resulting from the Great Recession that began in 2008 and other developments, most member states might in the medium- or long-term face labour and/or skill shortages due to ageing of the population.