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Crisis management: How to expand the labour market for university graduates in Denmark. Rasmus Conradsen, Chief Adviser The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Contact details: Rasmus Conradsen, Tel: +45 2249 5867, email: rc@ac.dk. 1.000 personer. +190.000. +221.000.
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Crisis management: How to expand the labour market for university graduates in Denmark Rasmus Conradsen, Chief Adviser The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations Contact details: Rasmus Conradsen, Tel: +45 2249 5867, email: rc@ac.dk
1.000 personer +190.000 +221.000 27 % unemployment rate among university graduated Development in the labour supply – people with a university degree +132.000 Source: AE-rådet
How many extra jobs should be created? (in order to avoid increasing unemployment) No. of extra jobs per year + + + The uptake by the public sector Source: AE-rådet
The business case • Small family-owned company • But declining profit and customer satisfaction • Major strategic change in 2009 • Improving customer focus by hiring Peter, MA in Corporate Communication
AC’s campaignI • ”Digging up” latent jobsamong small and medium enterprises with no former experience with using people with a university degree • Close direct dialogue with the SMEs (visits): • What are your growth ambitions for the company? • Are you aware of how skills from higher educated can help you realise your growth ambitions? • Help to formulate qualification requirements, suggesting candidates etc.
AC’s campaign II • Database with unemployed who are – by heart – interested in working in ‘a small company in the province’ • Activate and connect all relevant resources and networks. Business organizations, private vendors, unemployment insurance funds, public job centers etc.
AC’s campaign III • Spreading the good business cases through newpapers, magazines, television etc. • Bus trips for university graduates to periphical locations in Denmark with introduction to local companies, settling posibilities etc.
Lessons learned I • Long way from ‘initial contact’ to ‘job created’. • The need to bring in new competencies can be a tough realisationproces for the owner • Preconceived opinions about wage level, mobility. managerial challenges: • “He is too expensive” • “He would not settled in this province town” • “He will have a know-all attitude” • “He will not bond well with my wife” • => Professional specialised consultant staff should make the visits – ‘midwifes’
Lessonslearned II • Highly important that SME’s can receive wage subsidy in a introduction period after hiring a university graduated for the first time. • In Denmark we have ”Videnpilot-ordningen” [The Knowledge Pilot Programme] • Enterprises with a max. of 100 employees • Wage subsidies of up to DKK 150,000 (approx. EUR 20,000) over a twelve-month time period for hiring a postgraduate with an academic degree