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# Denmark has calculated the cost of immigrants - and it turns out even the least paid workers contribute to the economy

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- Joakim Malmberg
- 26 Apr 2017 1:06 PM
- 6635

  Getty / Sean Gallup

With the support from anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, Danish governments of different political colors have kept immigration tightly restricted for many years. Last year, the parliament passed a bill that has been described as Western Europe’s toughest immigration laws.

Denmark has gone further than almost all other countries by giving authorities the right to confiscate valuables from asylum-seekers. In 2015, the government made headlines in world news by placing ads aimed at potential immigrants in Lebanese newspapers announcing tighter regulations and cuts in benefits.

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But in a new report Denmark's Ministry of Finance provides financial proof to show that immigration could indeed be a much needed resource for the Danish economy.

According to the calculations, unskilled refugees have great potential to contribute to the state finances – as long as they become part of the work force.

Even the lowest paid full-time jobs make a difference. An annual salary of DKK 200,000, which is below the minimum wage when working 40 hours a week, is the breaking-point at which the worker is a net contributor to the budget.

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Foreigners from advanced economies tend to get jobs fast and generate tax money from the start. The greater challenge is to lower the unemployment rate among migrants fleeing conflict areas.

"Roughly speaking, immigration from western countries helps government finances while immigration from non-westerners imposes costs," says Finance Minister Kristian Jensen to Bloomberg.

“But it’s not a question of preferring one group or another. What we should strive for is getting all immigrants a job”, he continues.

You can read the full report here.

Immigration denmark

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