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Denmark passes bill to tighten residency requirement for unemployment insurance

A narrow parliamentary majority has passed a new law introducing strict residency requirements for access to Denmark’s unemployment benefits insurance system.

Denmark passes bill to tighten residency requirement for unemployment insurance
Minister of Employment Troels Lund Poulsen during the parliamentary debate on the residency bill. Photo: Tariq Mikkel Khan/Ritzau Scanpix

The new law means that residency in Denmark or another EU or EEA country in seven of the last 12 years will be required for eligibility through the A-kasse unemployment insurance system.

Payouts to A-kasse members, known in Danish as dagpenge, are funded in part by the state and in part by membership fees.

A narrow majority consisting of the government and parliamentary ally the Danish People’s Party (DF) voted in favour as procedure of the bill was completed on Thursday.

The residency demand is part of a plan to finance tax cuts announced earlier this year, while DF has stated it wants to reduce access to the social welfare mechanism for foreign citizens.

The requirement will affect both Danish and foreign citizens that have lived outside of the EU or EEA during the period defined by the rule.

“Many members who have paid (their fees) for years will be punished for travelling out into the world to gain knowledge and skills,” Torben Poulsen, chairman of industry representative group Danske A-Kasser, said recently to Ritzau.

A number of exceptions will apply to the rule, including for people who have worked on Danish ships, have been given placements abroad with Danish authorities or have been hired by Danish companies to work abroad.

“I am very concerned about how many people this will actually affect and how many will lose their right to unemployment insurance,” Social Democrat employment spokesperson Leif Lahn Jensen said during parliamentary debate of the bill, Ritzau writes.

Jensen’s party initially supported the bill but later changed its position after concerns were voiced over the potential impact on Danes who have worked abroad. The Social Democrats generally oppose opening access to the Danish labour market for foreign citizens.

The party, the largest in opposition, has said it would roll back the law change if it comes into government after the next general election, set for no later than June next year. The party supports a residency requirement for the form of social welfare, but has not specified how it would replace the new law.

Employment minister Troels Lund Poulsen said potential issues arising from the rule would “be resolved”.

“I am not saying there won’t be difficulties with this proposal. But we will make sure they are resolved,” he said to Ritzau.

The new requirements are to take partial effect on January 1st and be fully phased in by 2021.

That means residency requirements will be five years of the last 12 in 2019, six of the last 12 years in in 2020 and the full seven-year requirement in 2021.

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WORKING IN DENMARK

Ten ways to improve your chances of finding a job in Denmark

Job searching in Denmark can be a daunting and lengthy process with many hurdles to overcome. The Local spoke to Kay Xander Mellish, author of 'How to Work in Denmark', for her tips on submitting a successful CV and application.

Ten ways to improve your chances of finding a job in Denmark

CVs in Denmark often have certain aspects of layout, presentation and content in common. By writing a CV that sticks to some of these recognisable customs, you may improve your chances of catching the eye of a potential employer.

1. Length

“Keep it to one excellent page, or two if you’re more senior. I’d say if you’re aged 30 and under, one page will be enough. Only add the jobs that are relevant. Employers don’t want to hear about that restaurant server or babysitting job if it’s not relevant to the role,” Mellish said.

2. Format

At the top of your CV, a paragraph describing your experience, skills, education and character is a common way to lead into a CV. This text can be adapted depending on the job you’re applying for and how you want to present your skills.

“Add three adjectives about yourself that you can support with an example, rather than ten adjectives with no story. For example, say you are innovative for this reason. People don’t like hot air in Denmark,” Mellish said.

Aside from the profile text, chronological lists of qualifications, relevant employment history and other relevant experience should be kept brief enough to fit the one to two pages.

3. Show your personal side and a photo

It is expected that applicants include a section about their hobbies, even family situation on their CV in Denmark, as well as a photo, to give a sense of who they are as a person.

“Danish employers are interested in you as a human, more so than employers in other countries so include information about yourself, including your age and your hobbies.

“Choose a good quality photo that is not too serious but shows you looking friendly and approachable,” Mellish said.

4. Story telling

“Think in terms of story telling”, Mellish advised. “Pure letters and numbers don’t mean a lot to employers in Denmark, they need to know what projects you’ve done, what role you played and what kind of person you are through your CV.

“So rather than writing ‘I have these grades’, it’s better to say ‘I worked on this project, it took this long, I achieved this'”, Mellish said.

5. Hit the ground running

Mellish called this “plug and play”, where you show you will slot right into the company and get going with the role.

“When employers are reading your CV, they want to know what you can do on day one of the job. Sell your ability to solve someone’s problem. You need to give the impression you can add value straight away.

“In Denmark the average length of time in a job is two and a half years, because you can take your pension when you move, so employers don’t want someone they need to spend time training,” Mellish told The Local.

READ ALSO: Five tips for writing an effective Danish CV

6. Teamwork

“Group work is very important in Denmark, more than individual achievements. So talk about your teamwork and how you worked with a group to produce a good business result. It shouldn’t be ‘me, me, me’ – that’s a turn off,” Mellish said.

7. LinkedIn

“People in Denmark love LinkedIn so you need a fabulous LinkedIn profile with a good picture. Before anyone calls you for an interview they’ll have looked at your LinkedIn profile.

“In your profile, include the storytelling, explaining the projects you’ve worked on. If your job involves a uniform, I recommend wearing it in your LinkedIn photo so people get that impression of you right away. Your background photo should also be work-related, not rainbows or puppies. Use it to tell the story of who you are,” Mellish advised.

8. Unsolicited application

This is when you approach a company or department you would like to work for, without a job being advertised. The Danish term for it is uopfordret ansøgning. 

“Many people make contact on LinkedIn and ask to meet for a coffee, where they chat and rather than pitch for a job, they ask if the person knows anyone looking for someone like them. Danish employers welcome this and many people are hired this way,” Mellish said.

Another way to network is to join a union, Mellish advised. They often have career events but can also help read your contract when you get a job offer, or help with any problems in the workplace. 

9. Ring the recruiter

The phone number of the hiring manager will often be in the job advert. Mellish advised finding a quiet place to ring them from and spending ten to fifteen minutes asking some good business questions.

“This also helps you work out if you might want to work for this person,” Mellish said.

“Send your CV within 24 hours of the phone call and mention you spoke to them in your application,” she added.

10. Patience

“On average it can take six months to find a job in Denmark. If it’s under this, you’re lucky. If it takes a year, it’s not you, it just takes a long time because employers are looking for someone to fit into their team.

“I wrote 100 letters, I got ten responses, three interviews and one job which I had for eight years,” Mellish told The Local.

“Danish employers are not always good at getting back to you. If you don’t hear anything, just keep applying for other jobs. If you sent an application on June 1st, you could send a follow-up email on June 15th, then you’ll have to leave it and move on,” she advised. 

Kay Xander Mellish’s book ‘How to Work in Denmark’ offers both job-searching advice and tips on how to succeed in the Danish workplace.

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