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WORKING IN DENMARK

IN DETAIL: What is Denmark doing to recruit health workers from abroad?

Denmark’s government has announced an agreement which it says will bring more foreign health workers on to the country’s labour market. What does the agreement say?

Published: 25 January 2024 16:49 CET
IN DETAIL: What is Denmark doing to recruit health workers from abroad?
Danish politicians have presented an agreement which contains a range of measures related to work permit rules for foreign health professionals. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

A deal between the government and a majority in parliament will allow more people from abroad to be granted permits to work in the country’s social health sector as care workers or sosu-hjælpere in Danish.

The agreement was announced in a statement from the Ministry of Education and Research.

Grabbing the headlines was a decision to broadening the positive list scheme, through which work permits are granted to people with qualifications in desired professions.

READ ALSO: Denmark confirms deal to recruit 1,000 health staff from abroad

However, the agreement contains a total of 17 different measures, aimed at doctors, nurses and dentists as well as social carers.

“With this agreement, we are broadly implementing 17 specific initiatives that make it easier to recruit foreign health professionals, whom we so badly need in hospitals and in elderly care,” health minister Sophie Løhde said in the government statement.

The text of the agreement, published by the government, outlines each specific measure which will be implemented under the deal. They are summarised below.

Short-cut authorisation process for foreign medical credentials

A new “shortcut” will make some steps of the authorisation process for foreign medical professionals concurrent.

This means that foreign doctors and nurses will be able to work under evaluation at the same time as other steps of the process, so the overall time to reach authorisation is reduced.

This measure was already announced by the government earlier in January.

Extension of residence permits if evaluation job offer on table

The residence permit given to doctors and dentists while their authorisation case is ongoing can be extended if they have been offered a job for the evaluation step of the process.

Possible use of nurses as social care assistants

Health authorities are to evaluate whether foreign-trained nurses who do not receive approval for Danish authorisation as nurses can instead be authorised as social and health carers. This may involve additional training, the agreement states.

Extension of “positive list” work permit scheme to include social health care staff

As detailed here.

Information campaign for applicants

Applicants for authorisation of health care qualifications are to be informed about job opportunities in care sector roles that do not require specific qualifications.

Disclosure of partnerships with non-EU countries on targeted recruitment of healthcare professionals

The content of any agreements with other countries on recruitment and training of health personnel must be disclosed in relation to potential further partnerships with Denmark and other countries, including in relation to the professions involved.

Earlier this month, the government said it was in talks with India and the Philippines over a potential deal to bring in social carers from those countries.

Exemption from work permit if residence permit given through professional authorisation

The requirement for a work permit in addition to a residence permit will no longer apply to healthcare professionals granted authorisation, including doctors, dentists and nurses.

Review of Danish language classes for healthcare professionals

A review of existing Danish language classes is to be conducted, including potential removal of deadlines for passing minimum grades in a number of Danish tests.

The review will also consider the viability of Danish courses tailored for healthcare professionals.

READ ALSO: Denmark announces review of country’s Danish language schools

Simplification or application for evaluatory role

Applications for the job authorisation application take on an evaluatory basis must in future be made through jobnet.dk.

The “evaluation” work placement is a mandatory part of the authorisation process for health professionals such as doctors, nurses and dentists.

READ ALSO: Which health professions need authorisation to work in Denmark?

Health authorities will meanwhile be strongly encouraged to offer these roles to doctors and dentists.

Simplification of guidelines and information

All information about the authorisation process along with residence and work permits will be placed together on the Workindenmark.dk website.

Automatic approval of the EU/EEA qualifications

An applicant with citizenship of a non-EU country who has trained in an EU country as a doctor, dentist, nurse or midwife will no longer have to meet additional conditions to obtain authorisation, provided the qualification complies with EU standards.

Exemption from three-year deadline for completing the authorisation process

A normal three-year deadline for completing the authorisation process (including work placements) will not apply if a placement job is offered in a timeframe that would exceed the deadline.

More flexibility relating to post-qualification training and job seniority

Four other measures outlined in the text of the agreement (points 11-15) offer increased flexibility on rules in the existing authorisation process which relate to post-qualification training and labour market experience.

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LIVING IN DENMARK

‘Cheaper’,’amazing nature’, ‘reliable transport’: The best Copenhagen commuter towns

Finding somewhere affordable to live in Denmark's capital is not easy, which is why a lot of people consider moving out of the city to rent or buy. The Local readers gave us an insight into life in a commuter town.

Published: 22 May 2024 16:14 CEST
'Cheaper','amazing nature', 'reliable transport': The best Copenhagen commuter towns

With the increase in flexible working, more people are looking to smaller towns outside of Copenhagen to either work from home or commute from. Here are some of the popular commuter towns.

Kokkedal/Fredensborg (north of Copenhagen)

From our reader survey, Kokkedal/Fredensborg were the most popular areas people lived.

“We can have a big house with a garden for the kids compared to a small flat in Copenhagen,” one reader said. 

“Houses are affordable for North Zealand compared to Lyngby, Birkerød or Holte for example,” added Judy, another reader. “Not a lot of apartments or rentals available though.”

She said she loved the “amazing nature” of the area, as well as the safety, community spirit and fact it was close to amenities and Hillerød.

The commute however is not the quickest of the commuter towns.

“On the days I work in town it costs 52 kroner each way, I need to get a bus or walk to Kokkedal then the train and then a bus or walk to work so it takes up to 1.5 hours,” said one reader. 

Judy agreed that it normally took her an hour and a half to get to Copenhagen’s central station. She said that the “cost can be reduced by using a pendelkort and there is a tax deduction for long distance commutes.” However another reader in the area said it took them 30 minutes to get to Copenhagen central.

The worst part about living in the area, Judy said, was that “local trains and buses only run once an hour on weekends”.

“If you don’t have a car, it’s a pain.”

Another reader complained that “the restaurant scene is not great” and that the “general access to culture” was limited, although the Louisiana Art Gallery, they said, was “not far away”. 

What Judy loved about the area was “amazing nature. Safety. Close to amenities. Community spirit. Houses are more affordable than similar areas like Birkerød. Three stops from Hillerød station. by train. There are also buses to towns on the kystbanen line.”

Kokkedal station. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The north of Copenhagen is a popular choice for commuters, due to the area’s many beaches and the good train links to the centre of Copenhagen.

Other popular commuter towns are Hillerød, Holte, Bikerød, Rungsted and Hørsholm. 

Vedbæk (north of Copenhagen)

A few kilometres south of Kokkedal but still north of Copenhagen, Vedbæk, reported our reader Ron, offers “small town life” where “nearly everyone knows each other”.

The wealthy coastal town, he said, “has everything we need, with easy train access to the Copenhagen on the Regionaltog.” In addition, the commute is “very reliable”, taking only 20 minutes on the train to Nørreport.

The downside, he said, was that housing in the area was very expensive. “It’s probably even more expensive in Vedbæk than in Copenhagen!”

The coastal town of Vedbæk is perfect for commuting. Photo: Tobias Kobborg/Ritzau Scanpix

Frederiksund (north of Copenhagen) 

A bit further out from Copenhagen to the northeast is Frederikssund, which our reader complained suffered from a “lack of culture”, a “paucity of good restaurants”, a pedestrian street facing some sort of “death”, and a shopping centre which was “hugely dull”. 

The only things he mentioned in the town’s favour were that is close to the Roskilde fjord, the Isefjord and to nature in general, and that it was less expensive for “a quality house with a good garden” than Copenhagen.

He said the commute to Copenhagen Central took between 45 and 50 minutes, but warned that “‘reliable’ is not a word that can easily be used in a sentence about the C line trains”. 

Stenløse (west of Copenhagen)

To the west of Copenhagen, in Stenløse, housing costs are “much much lower” than the capital, according to one reader. They liked the “house prices, quiet, facilities, nature” and fact it was “still close to the city (36 minutes by train to go to Copenhagen Central).”

However they pointed out there are “only a few restaurants” and “a car is somewhat important.” 

The reader mostly worked from home but their commute involved cycling to the station then taking the S-tog to Copenhagen central station and another bike ride of a few minutes. “It takes about 40 minutes. Train is pretty reliable and runs every 10 minutes during the weekdays,” the reader said.

Other popular commuter areas in the west include Roskilde, Ringsted and Slagelse.

Køge (south of Copenhagen)

To the south of Copenhagen and on the coast, Køge was described by a reader as “quieter” and “cleaner” than Copenhagen, with no real negatives. 

“It’s a lot cheaper. I pay around 3,000 kroner for a single room student accommodation – two of my friends that live in Copenhagen pay 7,000 kroner a month – for a student apartment smaller than mine!” the reader said.

Their commute is “30 – 50 minutes depending on transportation mode (S-tog and regionaltog) – it costs around 650 kr a month with Ungdomskort.”

Dragør is another favourite to the south of Copenhagen due to its old-town charm.

The view across the straits to Nykobing Falster. Photo: Hubertus45/Wikimedia Commons

Nykøbing F (southern Denmark)

Nykøbing F, as it’s known, is a city on the island of Falster in southern Denmark, next to Lolland. Despite being further afield, Matthew found his commute “easy and reasonable” and house prices “much less” than in Copenhagen. He found the area he lives “peaceful” and “beautiful” with nothing he doesn’t like.

Odense (Fyn)

As the third largest city in Denmark, on the island of Fyn, Odense may feel far from Copenhagen. But reader Adrian said his commute to Copenhagen by train took “just over an hour. In a quiet carriage it’s relaxing and a great place to get work done.”

Adrian said house prices in Odense were at least half the cost of those in Copenhagen. “Cheaper housing, easy parking everywhere. Odense is a city with a small town vibe,” he said. The only minor point he said was the “lack of ‘cool’ cafes compared to Copenhagen.”

It’s says something about transport in Denmark that commuting from a different island 300km away can take the same time as commuting from a village just 40km north of Copenhagen. 

Some commuters even travel from Malmö in Sweden, taking advantage of the the fast train over the Øresund Bridge.

Do you have experience of living in a Copenhagen commuter town or village? We’re still interested in collecting readers’ experience of the different options. So if you want to contribute, please fill in the form below: 

 

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