When I arrived in Denmark from Ukraine four years ago, my priority was safety, not my career. Like many young migrants, I was grateful simply to find work. At that moment, having a stable income and a sense of security mattered more than long-term professional ambitions. But as time passed, I discovered that finding a job and building a career are two very different things. Having employment does not necessarily mean having opportunities for professional growth or meaningful integration into the labor market.
While reading the Career Compass report, I realized that my experience is far from unique. Whether young people moved because of war, education, or employment, they repeatedly described the same obstacles preventing them from progressing into skilled work. Although each person’s journey is different, the barriers they encounter are remarkably similar. This suggests that the problem lies not with individuals but with the systems they are trying to navigate.
One of the most important conclusions of the Career Compass report is that young migrants do not remain in low-skilled jobs because they lack motivation. On the contrary, many arrive with qualifications and work experience. They remain in these positions because structural barriers reinforce one another, making career progression far more difficult than it appears from the outside.
These barriers rarely exist in isolation. Someone working evening or weekend shifts cannot attend language classes. Without stronger language skills, vocational education or professional training remains inaccessible. Without additional qualifications, career progression stalls. Financial insecurity then makes reducing working hours impossible, even when doing so would allow someone to study or retrain. The result is not a temporary setback but a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to escape over time.
I recognized myself in another finding from the report, more specifically the fragmented access to information. Many of the most important rules of the labor market are not formally explained. Instead, they are assumed to be common knowledge. For newcomers, this creates a significant disadvantage.
Before coming to Denmark, I had completed a bachelor’s degree in social sciences. When I later continued my education here, nobody explained one of the most important aspects of the Danish labor market: student jobs are not simply a way of earning extra money. They are often the first step towards permanent employment. Employers value Danish work experience, professional networks, and familiarity with workplace culture, all of which are frequently developed through student employment.
Likewise, I did not realize that internships are often designed primarily for students who are currently enrolled, meaning that graduates may have fewer opportunities to gain their first Danish work experience. By the time many newcomers understand these unwritten rules, they are already competing for graduate positions that expect exactly the experience they never had the opportunity to obtain. It becomes a classic paradox, where experience is required to get the job, but the job is needed to gain the experience.
What concerns me most is that Europe continues to discuss labor shortages and migrant integration as though they were separate issues. The Career Compass report shows they are, in fact, two sides of the same challenge. Countries such as Denmark, Finland, and Lithuania all face increasing demand for skilled workers, while thousands of capable young migrants struggle to enter professions that match their education and potential.
This is not only unfair to migrants. It is economically irrational. Public resources are invested in education, language training, and integration, yet unnecessary administrative and structural barriers prevent many people from contributing at their full capacity. At a time when European societies are facing demographic change and growing labor shortages, underutilizing available talent is a cost that countries can ill afford.
As someone who has experienced these challenges while also researching them, I know they are not abstract policy problems. They shape everyday decisions about work, education, and the future. They influence whether someone continues studying, accepts another low-skilled job, or eventually gives up on their original career aspirations altogether.
The Career Compass report does not argue for lowering standards or creating special treatment for migrants. It argues for removing unnecessary barriers, improving access to information, and ensuring that motivated young people have a fair opportunity to develop their skills. If Europe is serious about addressing labor shortages, it must stop asking whether young migrants are motivated enough and start asking whether our institutions give them a genuine chance to succeed.
About Career Compass
Career Compass is a Nordplus-funded project focused on identifying and addressing structural barriers to career development among young migrant workers in the Nordic–Baltic region.
The project brings together three partners: Aalborg Institute for Development in Denmark, What The Finland in Finland, and Innovation Office / Inovacijų biuras in Lithuania.
Through research, interviews, and stakeholder engagement in Denmark, Finland, and Lithuania, Career Compass examines how education systems, labor market structures, qualification recognition processes, language requirements, and workplace practices affect young migrant workers’ access to vocational education, skills development, and long-term career progression.
The project aims to produce evidence-based policy recommendations that support fairer career pathways, better use of migrants’ existing skills, and more inclusive labor markets across the region.
Read the report here – https://aalborgid.com/career-compass/
