Retraining for unemployed not enough

The education scheme for unemployed people who have lost their right to benefit was supposed to retrain people for new jobs. But the scheme passed by the government and the Red-Green Alliance as part of the 2013 budget generates little enthusiasm from Danish job centres.

A survey conducted by DR among 52 Danish job centre heads shows that only 40 per cent respond favourably to the training scheme and its possibility of generating jobs for people who stand to lose their benefit during the first six months of 2013.

The rest answered “either or”, “disagree” or “don’t know”. Finally, 6 per cent refused to comment.

Short respite

Morten Kaspersen, general secretary of the 3F trade union’s unemployment insurance fund and chair of the Association of Danish Unemployment Funds, is not overly impressed by the unemployment education scheme.

“This is just a short respite of maximum six months, and no one can be certain there are jobs to be had by then. It’s not enough to guarantee training for up to six months; the training scheme doesn’t create jobs. People improve their skills, but in order to be employed, there need to be jobs available and there aren’t any right now,” said Kaspersen.

Right to certain programmes

The unemployment training scheme targets those unemployed people who have exhausted or will exhaust their right to unemployment benefit between 30 December 2012 and 30 June 2013.

The scheme gives people the right to pursue certain training programmes and receive a special training grant for up to six months after they have lost their benefit. The training grant rate is equal to the standard cash benefit rate.

The vast majority of the 5,270 persons losing their unemployment benefit during the first six months of 2013 will now have to settle for the training grant instead, according to the Association of Danish Unemployment Funds.