Thousands of young Danes without jobs or education despite political goals

Denmark has fallen short of a 2017 political target to significantly decrease the number of young people lacking both employment and education. An analysis by the Workers' Economic Council (AE) reveals that in 2025, approximately 43,400 individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 had completed only basic schooling and were neither studying nor working. This figure is nearly 5,000 more than the agreed-upon goal.

The 2017 agreement aimed for a 20 percent reduction in young people outside the labor market and education by 2025. According to AE's analysis, this would have meant no more than 38,500 young people should have been in this situation. Despite a slight decrease from 2024's nearly 45,000, the 2025 numbers indicate a substantial gap in achieving the objective.

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There need to be more political initiatives on the table that help the young people who are without jobs and education.

"More political initiatives are needed to help young people who are without jobs and education," stated Troels Lund Jensen, chief analyst at AE. He expressed concern that even with planned investments in primary education, the 2030 goal of halving the number of young people without jobs and education appears difficult to reach.

AE suggests accelerating the implementation of a right to preparatory basic education (FGU) for students who do not pass their final exams or drop out after ninth grade. This right is currently slated to take effect in 2030, but Jensen believes bringing it forward could provide more immediate support to vulnerable youth.

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It just doesn't make a difference in relation to the 2030 goal. There need to be more political initiatives on the table that help the young people who are without jobs and education.