Retention Targets for Every Kommune

Denmark spends heavily on attracting international talent: recruitment, relocation, onboarding and integration. But we measures almost nothing about whether that talent stays. In 2025, more internationals left Denmark than in almost any year before, and retention continues to fall.

We propose that Danish kommuner start publishing how many highly skilled internationals are retained, and work towards a national minimum that rises over time.

• Why Now

  According to Danmarks Statistik, 2025 saw the second-highest number of internationals leaving Denmark on record, and retention is still falling. In the Capital Region, only around 45% of highly qualified internationals are still in Denmark after 5 years. Every early departure writes off the money spent on relocation, onboarding and integration, and forces the employer to recruit again, at a significant cost.

  Kommuner are on the front line of integration, but they are not held accountable for whether people stay. Without data, there is no pressure to improve.

• Core arguments

  An economic case: A skilled international is a net contributor to the municipal tax base. Keeping them is far cheaper than replacing them.

  Transparency: Published figures let internationals, employers and politicians see which kommuner succeed and learn from them.

  Accountability: A national floor turns retention from a nice ambition into a shared responsibility.

• Counter arguments

  People leave for personal reasons kommuner cannot control
  

  Some do. But many leave for reasons kommuner can influence: spouse employment, childcare, social inclusion and service. Targets focus attention on what can be fixed.
  
  
  Departures are driven by national rules, not kommuner

  Rules on permanent residence and work permits matter, which is why national figures should be published too. Comparing kommuner under the same national rules will show clearly which barriers are national and which are local.
  
  
  It adds bureaucracy

  The data already exists in national registers. Publishing it requires little extra work, and the savings from better retention far exceed the cost.
  
  
  Targets will be gamed
  
  Retention is measured by who is still living in Denmark and in the kommune. It is difficult to fake, and transparent.
  
  
  Moving within Denmark will look like a failure
  
  That is why retention is measured twice: within the kommune and within Denmark. An international who works in one kommune and buys a home in the next is a success for Denmark, and the binding floor applies to retention within Denmark.

Our Proposal

Denmark will be stronger with published retention figures for highly skilled internationals in every kommune, backed by a national floor.

• Highly skilled internationals defined by an income or education threshold from national registers.

• Retention measured at 12 months, 3 years and 5 years, both within the kommune and within Denmark.

• A national floor set from today’s baseline and raised over time. Kommuner below the floor must publish an action plan.

• Reported every year, alongside spouse employment figures.

We believe that what gets measured gets managed. We aim for a Denmark that measures success not only by who arrives, but also by who stays.