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Why does Denmark have so many job vacancies?

The number of job vacancies in Denmark is at its highest level for over a decade, according to new figures released on Thursday.

Published: 9 September 2021 13:15 CEST
Why does Denmark have so many job vacancies?
File photo: Thomas Lekfeldt/Ritzau Scanpix

A total of 53,500 private sector vacancies were registered in the second quarter of 2021, an increase of 14,000 compared to the preceding quarter and the highest number in the 11 years the data has been recorded, according to Statistics Denmark.

Vacant positions now comprise 3 percent of all jobs in Denmark, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, figures from job website Jobindex show that vacancies at the end of August were at their highest level since February 2008, shortly before Denmark was hit by the global financial crisis.

As vacancies have soared over the summer, so has the number of people employed on the Danish labour market.

Unemployment is now close to dropping under the level it was at immediately prior to the Covid-19 crisis.

READ ALSO: Denmark wants migrants to work for welfare benefits

The two trends are evidence of Denmark’s emergence from the economic impacts of the coronavirus, according to Jeppe Juul Borre, senior economist at Arbejdernes Landsbank.

“It’s pleasing to see that the Danish economy has got moving so well,” Borre said.

“But the flip side of the coin is that more and more companies are reporting a lack of labour,” he stated.

The need for labour has become a politically discussed topic in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, the government presented proposals it claims will add to the number of workers on the market.

Those proposals include cutting the standard monthly unemployment insurance payment for new graduates as well as shortening the eligibility period.

The government argues this will encourage university graduates to take jobs sooner, including unskilled work outside their area of expertise, if necessary.

READ ALSO: What do Denmark’s proposed welfare reforms mean for foreign residents?

The overall welfare reform package will increase employment by 10,400 people by 2025, according to government expectations.

The Confederation of Danish Industry (Dansk Industri, DI) praised the government for looking for solutions to the problem but called for measures that tackle the lack of hands in the shorter term.

Businesses wanting to fill various positions are held back by limits on bringing in workers from abroad, DI has suggested.

The business interest organisation backs a reduction in Denmark’s pay limit scheme or beløbsgrænse, which sets a minimum wage which businesses must pay skilled non-EU nationals in order for the employee to qualify for a Danish work permit.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s proposal to recruit skilled foreign labour falls apart (2018)

“Businesses are really challenged by being unable to find the staff they need. That means they have to say no to orders, thereby denying Denmark economic growth,” DI vice director Steen Nielsen said.

“The government’s direction is good but it doesn’t solve the challenges we are facing here and now,” Nielsen added.

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WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Want to intern at the elite restaurant Noma, at the architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, as a vet or as a nurse? Here's what you need to know.

Published: 28 March 2024 14:51 CET
EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Denmark has a special scheme for foreigners offered work in the country as interns, with different rules for those employed in architecture, healthcare, farming or veterinary jobs, or other sectors such as the natural sciences, technical fields, the pharmaceutical sector, or culture.

As an intern, you can get a permit to work in Denmark and a residency permit without having to earn any salary whatsoever, let alone secure the generous pay levels required to qualify for the Pay Limit Scheme. 

But you do have to meet the conditions put in place, to prevent unscrupulous employers using the internship permit to bring low cost labour to the country. 

You can find an English language guide to internships on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (Siri). 

READ ALSO: Danish work permit agency changes practice for hotel and restaurant interns

Who is eligible to get a work permit as an intern? 

You need to be between the ages of 18 and 35 (or 18 and 30 for some sectors), and you normally need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country or current country of residence .

In some cases you can already have recently graduated and in some cases you can be studying a subject not related to the internship, but if this is the case you need to show that you have passed a semester’s worth of courses in a relevant subject. 

If your internship is unpaid, you normally need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period.

If your internship is paid, your salary must be at least 6,820 kroner per month, which has to be stated in the standard contract, and paid into a Danish bank account in a bank operating legally in Denmark.

Be aware that opening a Danish bank account can be difficult, with applicants normally needing to have a Danish address and CPR personal number. If you are having trouble you can apply for a basic payments account.

What qualifications do I need to show or paperwork do I need to provide? 

The rules are different depending on which sector you intend to carry out your internship in. 

Agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary 

If you plan to intern in the agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary sectors, you need to show that you have passed a language test in English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or German at the A2 level or higher, in Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale.

This is a very basic level, described in the CEFR as enough to communicate “very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment”. 

For English language tests offered by IELTS, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) accepts test scores from 3.0, and for English tests from TOEFL, scores at Studieprøven level (C1 CEFR level). You will need to send the results certificate along with your application. 

To qualify for an internship in these sectors you also need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country, or the country where you have residency, and the internship also needs to be timed to coincide with where you are in the course, for instance as a practical element following more theoretical ones. 

“We compare the content of your educational programme with the job tasks which you will be carrying out during the internship,” Siri writes in its guide to internships. 

You cannot be more than 30 years old for an internship in these sectors. 

Interns in these sectors do not need to provide proof that they can support themselves. 

Healthcare 

There are no language requirements for an internship in the healthcare sector, and for medical interns there is no upper age limit (although an age limit of 35 applies for other healthcare interns). 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

You can receive an internship in healthcare even if your studies have recently been completed, but you must show that the internship is a continuation of your studies and relevant to the future role you intend to take on. 

If you have completed your studies, you should include documentation of any work experience you have had since completing your studies. 

If your internship is unpaid, you need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Architecture 

To be eligible for a work permit in the architecture sector, you cannot have completed your education and cannot be more than 35 years old. 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

If your internship is unpaid, you also need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Which employers are eligible to take interns?

Employers need to be approved to take interns, either through a prior praktikpladsgodkendelse, or “place of internship approval”, or through sending detailed documentation to Siri on what the internship will consist of, including details of who will be supervising the intern, and prior experience the firm has with taking on interns or trainees. 

All public hospitals in Denmark are approved as places of internship.

If you are planning on interning at a Danish architecture firm, the firm must use the standard “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” issued by DANSKE ARK, the Danish association of Architectural Firms, and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

Architecture firms do not need to receive a separate praktikpladsgodkendelse but when filling in the standard contract, need to state the number of fully-trained architects and number of interns working at the firm. 

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