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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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POLITICS

ANALYSIS: Is left-wing party’s EU election win good news for foreigners in Denmark?   

Denmark’s EU election returned a dream result for the Socialist People’s Party (SF), a centre-left opposition party. Could it have any long-term impact for foreigners who live in Denmark?

Published: 11 June 2024 18:58 CEST
ANALYSIS: Is left-wing party’s EU election win good news for foreigners in Denmark?   

What happened in the election? 

Sunday’s EU elections can be considered a huge win for the Socialist People’s Party (SF).

The party reeived 17.4 percent of the vote, up 4.2 points from 2019, making it the largest Danish party in the EU parliament and giving it 3 of Denmark’s 15 seats.

It also means SF now has as many EU parliament seats as the goverining Social Democrats, who lost 5.9 points to end on 15.6 percent, with their mandate allocation staying at 3.

The two parties are closely aligned in domestic Danish politics, despite SF currently being in opposition and the Social Democrats being the senior partner in a tripartite coalition with the centre-right Liberals (Venstre) and centrist Moderates.

Like the Social Democrats, the Liberals also had a damaging evening. The party lost 8.8 points and is now Denmark’s third-largest in the EU on 14.7 percent and 2 seats – 2 fewer than it had in 2019. However, they remain the largest Danish right-wing party in the EU by some distance, seeing off any challenge from the libertarian Liberal Alliance (LA) along with the far right. 

The Moderates, meanwhile, took a single seat in the EU parliament for their lead candidate Stine Bosse with a 5.9 percent share in their first EU election.

READ ALSO: Four key takeaways from the EU elections in Denmark

What is the potential impact on domestic politics? 

Speaking on election night, SF leader Pia Olsen Dyhr said the party’s excellent result could be used as a “catalyst” for a new political landscape in Denmark.

The EU election result can fuel further gains for SF when the next general election comes around, Dyhr said in the midst of her party’s celebrations.

“There’s an alternative to this government. There’s an alternative that wants [more] welfare and [to do more for] the climate and we are willing to deliver this in the EU parliament,” she told broadcaster DR.

“It gives us a tailwind and enthusiasm for the party and it means people will be even more ready for local elections next year and the general election further ahead,” she said.

During a press briefing on Monday, chief political analyst at Think Tank Europe Christine Nissen said that the resounding result for SF could indeed have implications for future national elections.

“We won’t see any direct results or change in government right away but there’s no doubt that the power balances are reflected in such a result as yesterday because it was so significant,” Nissen said, highlighting in particular the poor outcome for the Social Democrats.

“I think that looking towards the next national election, the Social Democrats might well have a very strong party on the left. And this will also matter,” she said.

During Prime Minister Frederiksen’s first term between 2019 and 2022, the Social Democrats ruled as a minority government propped up by parties to its left – including SF.

Theoretically, this structure or a similar one could return but with a stronger and more influential SF, if that party can transfer its European vote return to a national one. Neither the Social Democrats nor SF have given any hint of this happening, it should be noted.

Would a more influential SF change anything for foreigners?

The answer to this question is speculative, but SF and Social Democrats are generally allies. SF says it favours a “sensible” approach to immigration and in practice agrees with the Social Democrats more often than not.

SF has, occasionally, set out areas on which it does not agree with Social Democratic policies.

This has included accepting quota refugees from the UN – a question on which the Social Democrats eventually changed stance and agreed with SF.

The smaller party has also advocated more accommodating rules for family reunification of refugees, and opposed some controversial policies such as the “Jewellery Law” which was supported by the Social Democrats (but proposed by the Liberals).

On broad issues such as citizenship and residency permits, SF has not often broken with the Social Democrats during Frederiksen’s time in office – so much so, that the party has been criticised by its own youth wing for taking too tough a line on immigration.

While other left-wing parties like the Red-Green Alliance and Social Liberals, for example, want to change citizenship rules to better accommodate Danish-born non-citizens, SF is yet to explicitly support this.

On work permits, the party sometimes votes against rule adjustments that make it easier to hire from abroad (as can be seen here), ostensibly because one of its core identities is as a workers’ party which protects Danish labour. 

It is therefore far from certain, if SF had many more seats in parliament than it does today, that the party would pursue a significantly changed approach on immigration and integration.

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