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ECONOMY

Employment in Denmark grows for ninth consecutive month but is it sustainable?

The number of people on the jobs market in Denmark increased in October for the ninth consecutive month, but analysts have raised concerns about the sustainability of labour shortages.

Restaurants were among businesses in Denmark to increase employment figures in October 2021.
Restaurants were among businesses in Denmark to increase employment figures in October 2021. Photo: Niels Ahlmann Olesen/Berlingske/Ritzau Scanpix

A further 12,000 people were hired on October, meaning the overall employment figure ticked upwards to 2,895,000. The data were published by Statistics Denmark.

Although the trend has been described as “impressive”, analysts have also raised concerns about its potential to limit economic growth.

“This gives fuel to a growing concern over whether the speed (of employment growth) is too high for the Danish economy. We are not currently in an overheating, but the risk is growing,” senior economist with Arbejdernes Landsbank, Jeppe Juul Borre, told news wire Ritzau.

The current place of employment is not sustainable due to the demand for labour, another expert said.

“The labour shortage is a genuine obstacle for (economic) growth in Denmark and there’s also quite a clear risk that we will come into a period with unsustainable wage increases, which could be the basis of the next crisis,” Danske Bank senior economist Lars Olsen said.

Sectors to have hired the most people in November include the hotel and restaurant industry, where employment figures had been recovering from the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

Recently-announced Covid-19 restrictions are set to impact other sectors, notably the culture and leisure sectors, throughout the winter.

READ ALSO: The new Covid-19 restrictions now in effect in Denmark

Senior economist Tore Stramer of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv) said he did not expect the closure of businesses including cinemas and theatres during the winter to have a significant impact on employment.

“Our expectation is that businesses generally will refrain from letting staff go as a result of the general labour shortage,” Stramer said.

“Finally, experience from earlier waves (of Covid-19) shows that activity quickly increases again once restrictions are lifted,” he added in a written comment to Ritzau.

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WORKING IN DENMARK

Foreign workers report increased appeal of Denmark and Copenhagen in study

A new study has placed Denmark first in the Nordic region and 17th in the world in terms of popularity among foreign workers.

Foreign workers report increased appeal of Denmark and Copenhagen in study

A global study by Boston Consulting Group and The Network, in which Danish jobsearch site Jobindex participates, found that Denmark is punching above its weight globally when it comes to presenting itself as an attractive option for foreign staff.

A high ranking in the study is good news given Denmark’s high employment rate and difficulty reported by businesses filling long and short-term positions, the Boston Consulting Group said in a press release.

The study, Decoding Global Talent 2024, was released on Wednesday. The study has been conducted on repeated occasions since 2014, gauging the preferences of international workers.

It is the largest study of its kind in the world and with over 150,000 respondents from 185 countries including 11,000 from Denmark.

“It’s very impressive that Denmark takes a top position on the list. We are far from being the 17th-largest country in the world. The highest places naturally go to the English-speaking countries where most people have the language,” Boston Consulting Group’s Managing Director and Senior Partner Andreas Malby said in the statement.

“But foreign labour wants to go to Denmark because of quality of life and security in this country,” Malby added.

Individual countries’ performance in the study is based on the subjective perceptions of workers around the world, who submit votes. In addition to quality of life and security, other factors such as economic growth, tax, healthcare and work permit and visa processes can all influence the perceptions of survey respondents of how countries brand themselves.

Denmark’s ranking this year is an eight-place improvement since the last time the study was conducted in 2021. The 17th spot achieved this year puts it ahead of Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Finland in the ranking.

Copenhagen also popular

Capital city Copenhagen rates well on the city version of the list, its 28th place also ahead of Nordic rivals.

“It reflects Denmark’s good image that manages to attract international labour,” the CEO of Jobindex, Kaare Danielsen, said in the statement.

Danielsen described the study as “big and good news for Danish employers who face a shortage of staff in the short and long terms”.

“We are looking at an international shortage of labour in areas like green transition and AI where it is hugely important for us to attract international labour,” he said.

Danielsen noted that the results of the study point to a potential for Denmark to recruit more labour from southern Europe, where it has a high level of appeal for skilled workers.

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