A new Danish welfare law that took effect on 1 January 2025 requires as of 1 July 2025 individuals who do not meet strict residency or employment criteria to take part in government-assigned work activities for up to 37 hours per week to receive financial assistance. (What kind of work? See at the bottom of this article.)
While the law aims to encourage self-sufficiency among immigrants and long-term unemployed residents, it also affects Danish citizens who have lived abroad – including those returning from South East Asia.
Stricter Requirements for Social Benefits
Under the new arbejdspligt (work obligation) legislation, individuals must now meet BOTH of two criteria to qualify for standard social assistance:
- Have resided in Denmark for at least 9 out of the last 10 years.
- Have worked full-time for at least 2.5 years (approximately 4,810 hours) within the past 10 years.
Those who do not meet these requirements will no longer receive full social benefits but will instead have to participate in municipal work programs in order to receive financial aid at a reduced rate. Such assignments include maintenance work in public areas, municipal internships, or other government-directed tasks.
Returning Danes to Be Treated as Immigrants
The law’s unintended consequence is that Danish citizens returning after more than 12 months abroad will also fall under these same restrictions. This means that Danes who have spent extended periods in South East Asia or elsewhere outside Denmark will no longer be automatically eligible for social benefits upon their return. Instead, they must accumulate 9 years of residency AND 2.5 years of full-time employment before regaining access to full social welfare support. Until then, they will be required to work in government-assigned programs to qualify for any financial assistance.
Michael Bach Petersen, Secretary-General of Danes Worldwide, has criticized this aspect of the law:
“A Danish expat is not an immigrant; a Danish expat is a Danish citizen,” Michael Bach Petersen says.
“This law completely misses the mark. The intention is to get immigrants out of the welfare system, but it should not unfairly target innocent Danes simply because they have lived abroad.”
The law regulates financial social assistance. This law does not impact access to receive State Education Grant (SU), or public pension. They are governed by their own set of rules.
Government Response and Outlook
The Danish government has defended the law as part of broader efforts to reduce long-term welfare dependency and integrate immigrants into the labor force. However, there has been no indication that exemptions will be made for returning Danish citizens, despite growing criticism from expat communities.
As the law takes effect, its real-world impact on Danish expatriates remains to be seen. Danes Worldwide which represents Danes abroad continue to advocate for policy adjustments to ensure that Danish citizens are not unfairly classified under immigrant welfare regulations when returning home.
What do you think? If you are a Danish expat in South East Asia, we would love to hear your thoughts. How do you feel about this law? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments field below.
What kind of government assigned work are we talking about?
Eksempler på aktiviteter inkluderet i 37-timers arbejdspligten iflg. https://siri.dk/arbejdspligt/
- Nytteindsats: Udførelse af samfundsnyttige opgaver hos en offentlig arbejdsgiver, såsom:
- Vedligeholdelse af kommunale stier, parkeringspladser og shelters.
- Renholdelse af strande og skove.
- Naturpleje på kommunale arealer, herunder fjernelse af invasive arter og oprensning af grøfter.
- Renovering og mindre reparationer på kommunale institutioner og ejendele, såsom bænke.
- Vedligeholdelse af kommunale affaldsspande.
- Rengøring og vedligeholdelse af legetøj i daginstitutioner.
- Særligt tilrettelagt nytteindsats: Kommunalt organiserede tilbud, der sikrer, at borgere arbejder for deres ydelse ved at udføre samfundsnyttige opgaver.
- Virksomhedspraktik: Praktikophold i private eller offentlige virksomheder for at opnå erhvervserfaring og forbedre jobmuligheder.
- Job med løntilskud: Ansættelse i virksomheder med økonomisk støtte fra det offentlige for at fremme beskæftigelsen af ledige.
- Ordinære løntimer: Almindelige arbejdstimer i en lønnet stilling; disse timer reducerer behovet for deltagelse i andre arbejdspligtsaktiviteter.
- Vejledning og opkvalificering: Korte kurser med et klart beskæftigelsesrettet fokus, der kan føre til, at personen kan påbegynde et konkret job.
- Danskundervisning: Forbedring af danskkundskaber for bedre integration på arbejdsmarkedet.
- Jobsøgning uden for hjemmet: Aktiv jobsøgning, der foregår uden for hjemmet, kan medregnes i arbejdspligten i op til 4 timer om ugen.
Kommunerne er ansvarlige for at tilrettelægge disse aktiviteter baseret på en individuel vurdering af den enkelte borgers forudsætninger og helbredsmæssige situation. Målet er at fremme selvforsørgelse og reducere langtidsledighed ved at engagere borgere i meningsfulde aktiviteter, der bidrager til samfundet og forbedrer deres beskæftigelsesmuligheder.
