Foreign students want to stay

Four out of five foreign students hope to get a job in Denmark

A new survey made by CBS and Local Government Denmark shows that foreign students dream about a career in Denmark. Four out of five students want to work in Denmark after graduation. According to Finn Kjerulff Hansen, Senior Career Consultant from CBS, the Danish companies are not yet aware of this segment when it comes to recruitment.

- They have not yet realised the group of potential employees, who really want to pursue a career in this country, he says.

Copenhagen is attractive

334 foreign CBS students from 52 countries have participated in the survey. They are primarily attracted by living in Copenhagen and the Danish work-life balance, but they also want to stay here because of better job opportunities in Denmark and a Danish boyfriend or girlfriend. 64 per cent says that their period of study in Denmark has made them more interested in living and working here.

Momentum, the newsletter of Local Government Denmark, refers to figures from the Danish Agency for International Education, which illustrate that 50 per cent of the foreign students stays in Denmark after graduation. 74 per cent finds a job. Morten Østergaard, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education, has suggested that foreign students must be granted the opportunity to stay in Denmark for three years after graduation, giving them more time to search for a job. The proposal will contribute to the retention of the best students from the Danish educational institutions and strengthen Denmark's competitive power.

Job ads in English

Finn Kjerulff Hansen points towards initiatives which may contribute to a good match between employees and employers regardless of nationality.

- The companies must show up for open day arrangements at the universities and advertise both in Danish and in English, and the students must learn to speak Danish at a reasonable level. The last study year is decisive. Companies and students must be brought closer together through internships or student jobs, he says.

New job portal

The CBS Career Center has just launched CareerGate; a new job portal for companies and students with an international focus. There is a Danish and an English version with both full-time positions and student jobs in Denmark and abroad.

Visit CareerGate