Danish expat study reveals integration issues

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A new study examining the fortunes of expat workers in Denmark has been released.

Aiming to be a useful tool for companies in Denmark, the study, Expat Study 2010, was conducted by The Copenhagen Post and Oxford Research to further understand Denmark's growing expat community.

According to the study, the number of expats currently working in Denmark is around 41,500, a considerable increase from 33,000, which was the number in 2008, which points to Danish businesses evidently having a strong need for skilled foreign workers.

The report discovered that Denmark is a popular destination for foreign workers, with 69 percent of the respondents citing an overall positive experience, and 47 percent staying in the country longer than they had originally planned.

However there seemed to still be work done in the area of expat integration and general openness amongst native Danes. Craig Till, head of the secretariat at Expat in Denmark agreed when talking to The Copenhagen: “There needs to be an increased focus on how to deal with language issues, particularly within the job market,” expats cited the language barrier as a small concern,

The study itself has been praised by businesses in Denmark, Charlotte Mark form Microsoft's Copenhagen office said: “It makes us see that we have the right focus in what we are already doing, and also what else we need to improve.”

Over 1,500 expats participated in the survey.