Pia Olsen Dyhr thinks Denmark needs to be better at using the competencies of skilled “new Danes” or people with an international background, as they may be the key to success on the growth markets. They often hold special insight and knowledge, e.g. about cultural differences, making it possible to gain a foothold and act in a new market. One often has to be open and creative when venturing into and establishing a business in a new market. But it also has to do with understanding the world around us and the markets we venture into. That is how skilled "new Danes" may be the key to success.
"We should appreciate the fact that people with different ethnic backgrounds wish to work here in Denmark. They give us the opportunity to be part of the globalised world and not be isolated by ourselves. They have competencies and educations which we need to utilise much better" Pia Olsen Dyhr says to nyhederpådansk.com (The page is no longer active)
Christian T. Ingemann, the director of The Danish Chamber of Commerce, points out that it is all about having the right competencies in a company and employees who hold special knowledge regarding finance, politics and culture predominant in the countries, which are distinctively different from Denmark.
"It will be to our advantage if we can use the knowledge and the skills of "new Danes" as they have a double background", he says to The Danish Chamber of Commerce.
New Danes and new markets
Denmark needs to kick start growth by strengthening Danish export and more than anything to the growth markets.
"A staggering 13 per cent of all entrepreneurs in Denmark have a background other than Danish. Put differently, we have a huge resource consisting of innovative people with knowledge of cultures and languages and a network in their home countries”, Pia Olsen Dyhr states on the home page of the Danish Foreign Ministry.
In the future, growth will happen outside the borders of Europe
"We need to get better at using the competencies, which people of another heritage than Danish can bring in order to strengthen Danish export – especially on the growth markets. We know that in the years to come, 90 percent of global growth will happen outside of Europe" says Pia Olsen Dyhr.
She points out that the potential for jobs in export businesses is huge, but that companies have a hard time finding the resources when recruiting relevant candidates.
New database unites companies with people with an international background
It needs to be easier for skilled people with a heritage other than Danish and others with special knowledge about countries and cultures to find a job. And it needs to be easier for Danish export businesses to find the right employees for export jobs. Jobindex has now created a special job and CV database for export jobs: eksportjob.dk.
The new Jobindex database strengthens the ties between Danish companies and candidates with a non-Danish heritage. The database helps create more growth for Danish export businesses and create jobs for “new Danes”.
"If 12,000 “new Danes” are hired into export businesses, export will increase by 2 billion Danish Kroner. I think that is a definite possibility” Pia Olsen Dyhr tells nyhederpaadansk.com.
According to Pia Olsen Dyhr, some 20,000 people who live in Denmark but have a non-Danish background do not use their education.
