Denmark Needs Workers So Why Can’t Foreigners Get Jobs?

An article on the cover of one of Denmark’s leading national newspapers, Berlingske Tiden, published a story entitled, “Desperate jagt på nye medarbejdere,” meaning “Desperate hunt for new employees.”

It states that the employment market is in such dire need for employees that four out of 10 openings are filled by people that are not qualified for the job. It also states that 15 percent of the country’s companies have completely given up on finding the the employees they need. I don’t know where these statistics come from but what strikes me is that while this seems to be the case, there is still a serious problem with foreigners securing jobs in Denmark.

In fact, just a couple of weeks ago a woman inquired into an international group that I am a member of and asked members to complete a survey she had set up about working in Denmark. She stated her motivation was to set up some kind of activity regarding working in Denmark in hopes to raise the interest to the Employment Ministry or “Beskæftigelses Ministeriet.”

The motivation for her initiative:

In spite of all the news about how much Denmark needs workforce – also from abroad – the impression is, that it is difficult to find work as a foreigner.

I would have to agree. I’ve also heard similar complaints on international chat groups with people expressing how bored they are because they are waiting to find work in Denmark or countless “help” requests for how to find a job here.

It’s really such a shame that Denmark has a number of highly talented, professional people living here that want to stay here that the companies do not take advantage of. It’s also unfortunate that it’s due to general cultural beliefs and attitude towards foreigners (in my opinion) that, while improving, stifles growth and hinders true integration.

It’s certainly a hot topic and one that is of major concern to many interested groups.

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55 Comments on “Denmark Needs Workers So Why Can’t Foreigners Get Jobs?”

  2. It is indeed a mind boggling topic. I have heard so many times about how they’re lacking doctors and medical staff in Jutland before, and now that they’ve “imported” several doctors from India, they’re complaining that these doctors don’t speak fluent Danish and they can’t communicate with them.

    I saw it on the news and the Indian doctors did speak Danish, with Indian accent of course! It’s good enough that these doctors speak Danish instead of just plain ol’ English (I suppose Jutlandish people don’t speak English as well as the Copenhageners) What do you expect, people?

    *grr* (sorry I get all upset whenever I talk about this subject LOL)

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  3. hey, I am an indian doctor (MBBS) and would like to know how to get a job in denmark ? please.. could somebody gimme some useful info? thanks mates..

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  4. Hi,
    I moved to Denmark in February (I’m from South Africa but British born). I’m married to a danish man and we have a 10 year old and a 4 year old son together. We decided to move back to my husbands country for our children (the crime is crazy in SA) and our 4 year old son is disabled and in a wheelchair.

    I have been freelancing on and off since I moved here. I have 14 years graphic design experience and ran a magazine and my own agency in South Africa – it’s near impossible to get into the market in Copenhagen. It really makes me mad that I can’t get anything!!

    And don’t get me started how rude danes are when you try speak in Danish and they can’t understand you. I’m sorry to the danes out there that are nice to foreigners this is not directed at you, but the rest of you and the companies that are consistantly rude – WAKE UP!! Do you know how many experienced and fantastic foreigners you have under your noses! Sorry, it’s really starting to upset me that you get nowhere here. I don’t want to put anyone off coming here, I’m extremely grateful for the schooling and the help that they provide for my children (especially the youngest) but let’s get the job market open for the foreigners!

    Lyndsay

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    • British ain’t BETTER for foreigners in Britain !!!
      I hv lived in the UK for last 4 years. I hv been working in investment banking and decided to go back to Uni.

      I am doing Business and Law course ( full time 3 years ).

      I hv been trying to find even the simplest part time office job and no luck so far. Yeap economy gone down a bit and U Brits treat foreign like a bugs in yr kitchen.

      anyway… do you speak Danish ??? Maybe you should just improve and then it will be so much easier to get into employment ???

      good luck !

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    • Hi Lyndsay
      It is such a painful experience. I’m a South African and my partner is a foreigner (who has a profession) here in South Africa. They are treated like rubbish and can not get jobs and I’m also a graphic designer, English is my second language and if you can’t speak fluent English here in SA you will always get judged by your own South Africans. It’s a pity you can only be competent when you speak dialect than if you can’t the effort should be doubled. You just have to keep on trying…

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    • no chance mate… nobody gonna fight for your visa if you are just IT guy. Anyway do U speak Danish coz most of Companies require their employees to know both Dannish and English. oh and def a NATIVE LIKE ENGLISH !!! no “i want a good job in denmark. field IT
      i am an indian pl suggest” this kind :).

      Learn Dannish , improve yr English and try to find job in Sweden LOL 🙂

      Gd Luck !

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  6. I am i need of Any job in denmark or anywhere.I am ready to mograte to your country to work in farms,animals and help in the home in place of accomodation and food.

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  8. Dear All,

    I will suggest you to go back to your home land and work there do not need to come out from there this is the best build your own country rather than to move some where else. hope you can understand….

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  9. hello, long time lurker. As a soon to be immigrant, the prospect of a job in dk worries me too.

    @ tahseen Khan: Only if your statements were the answer. If I was a doctor imported to DK on demand, I would ask “Do you wanna die in danish or take my advice in English and stay alive”.

    The world is for everyone. While any immigrant in any part of the world should leanr more about their new culture, countries like Denmark must not isolate themselves from rest of the world or isolate their legal immigrants.

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  10. I find this to be a shame. I lived in Denmark as a child and would like to retire there to live out the rest of my years. As with anyone, I too would need some kind of employment – even if on a part time basis – to help with the bills.

    I see most on here speaking about doctors and the medical field in general. So my biggest question would be, what about other fields. Information Technology, for example.

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  11. i completed predegree and have ITI mechinist certificate and am an insurance agent too,i am willing to work hard and anybody there to give me guidance for my queries?

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  12. Hi, Been in DK for a year now. Started working after 2 months of landing here in an international non profit org (dumb luck as it were). Denmark is a place full of wonderful people! However, the other half is supremely Awful! Rude, no manners, gruff, gum-chewing all the time (like goats!), selfish, ectremely envious, ill-placed sense of competition, complainers, whiners, racist, materialistic, ignorant, NAIVE, provincial and arrogant! Most everyone speaks english but up to 4th grade elementary school level! Ill-placed sense of nationalism (but they call the tax authorities on each other when they see their neighbor has more material goods than them)! Liberalism is misused-as in the Mohammed cartoons issue. A disguised attempt to oppress muslims and disrespect their religion, wherein the real intent is to flex tyranny and racist aims. Horrible people, you give a smile, you get back a mean look! Unbelievable inhumane responses here. But as i said the other half is just wonderful, decent human beings, amazing sense of justice, fairness, equality, global people, well travelled, generous, open-minded, truly liberal and respectful of others, whatever creed or colour. Depending on which part of town you end up in, you can suffer oppression where you live and end up with your head down and tail between your legs all the time. The question is, what are you going to do to raise your children away from these awful values? IWhat are you going to do to get a job and stay happy in denmark? Others have a right to their opinions of foreigners, in my book, i filter out the bad and move on with the good. Recognize it for what it is but don’t accept it. Foreigners should help other foreigners. Integration happens in differing degrees. The awful Danes are not only scary in their racism but also disgusting in their immutability. There is a lot of beauty in people here and in the places…you have to actively prune out the bad and seek the good. THAT IS HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN DENMARK.

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  13. Denmark is not for the weak of heart. It is for people who wish to seek change and a utopic model of how wealth can be distributed evenly (even if the people giving you the subsidies do it without a smile). I admire this sense of fairness. No one is perfect. I do believe that the awful other half of Denmark can and will change. If there’s one thing Danes can’t tolerate is a messy and noisy confrontation. If someone screams help for rape or robbery, notice how the bystanders or witnesses conveniently look away as if there is nothing going on. One must learn to use these peculiarities to one’s advantage. When challenged properly and dealt with patiently, the awful Dane transforms into a surprisingly wonderful human being! The ability to self-criticize and change is very very strong here. They just need a collective slap on the face for a couple of years…The good people are just some of the BEST HUMAN BEINGS EVER TO LIVE! Denmark rocks big time, the government takes care of everyone. Heavy taxation is a burden and a wonderful way to make sure that everyone is taken cared of and gets a piece of the pie where it matters most- medical, education, housing!

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  14. I have read alot of what people are saying of jobs not available despite the Danish authority’s need for skilled personnel. Pls I want to know if the employment prospect for foreigners is any better now. Will speaking the danish language a pre-requisite to work even in Copenhagen?

    I appreciate all feedbacks on these issues.

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  15. Dear friends, I have a friend who recently get a job in Denmark, he is very pleased about conditions there, he’s a hard worker and he has the privilege to have a good job.I asked him to help me to find a job, he’s a news paper distributor by the way, but he can’t help me until I whrite here. I am desperate for a job, a news paper distributor, taxi driver, whatever. I can do a lot of works.
    Can someone here help me?

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  16. Dear All,

    If you all really want to work in Denmark remember following things.
    1. Work hard, I mean really hard to learn the language and you’ll get respected even if you are not good in your profession. Danes love their language and are proud about it.
    2. Respect opinions of every dane, its a must.
    3. You should be one of the best in your field and pretty well qualified. Ordinary jobs are not available for foreigners. Tell me which country will import taxi drivers or paper vendors when they need doctors and IT specialists.
    4. Dont criticise the country which has given you shelter and job-In Rome be roman. Follow this simple principle.

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  17. I’m so tired of the confusion in Danish society, how on one hand they want people, but on the other they treat them so badly when they arrive. I guess we’re just a commodity – use up, throw away. And they want only the absolute best, the rest need not apply, because when you have the best country in the world you can afford to set impossibly high standards.

    Then they want you to come sans partner and kids, but don’t worry, the women are apparently really loose if you believe their tourism board, so you’ll have no problems bouncing between superficial relationships. You get to earn a lot of money, but you better spend it all there, or they get annoyed. They make sure to help you out in this regard by taxing off half of your income, then taking a major bite out of the rest by forcing you into expensive temporary housing.

    But there’s great weather for a few weeks in July, that makes it all worth while.

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  19. I’m an America living in Seattle, currently working at Microsoft Advertising. I’m getting married to a Dane, so there is a good chance I will be relocating to Denmark in the near future. What are my chances to land a job in the field of online advertising for someone who has a university degree and less than 5 years of work experience in the field? Are salaries on par with US, around $65K a year? Unfortunately, I don’t speak Danish. Please share your thoughts and be honest.

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    • Hi there, I can’t really say what the market is like for your line of business, but I will say that in general no matter what kind of degree or experience you have — and I mean no matter what — it is a challenge to find work here. It is not impossible though. It is just the way it is. I have met researchers, scientists, teachers, writers, marketeers and other *very* highly qualified people that have all had a similar experience. Denmark is simply not an open society, and especially when it comes to hiring non-Danes. And now with the downturn and job losses, I suspect the timing right now would not be the best. My best advice is to pursue a position within Microsoft here. They have a very international team so you could have good changes going that route. Otherwise, it is good to network and be as proactive as possible. You should give yourself some time to find a post as a buffer so you know in advance that it may take time. It took about a year and a half for me but I did manage to land a very good international position. I would also recommend setting up informational meetings as an avenue to meet people and network. You’ll need to get creative and expect rejections — and not take it personally. There are loads of networking groups like LINK Denmark, WorkinDenmark.dk, LifeinDenmark.dk, etc….just look under “Denmark Links” on the blog. Hope this helps.

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  20. hi,

    i would be moving to denmark after sometime i am a qualified MBA with 5 yrs of exp i wanted to now whether i can work in denmark and get a decent job..we are going on a working visa.

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  22. i a forklift operator in UAE i hv 3 year experince including from india and uae
    still working in ADCO bab13 store in abu dhabi in oil field area
    i want a job as a forklift operator in denmark in any oil fild company( licence valid no.8)
    so plz sugess me about it
    thanks

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  24. HI,I am 30 year old guy working in surat as customer supporter eng.(IT) I have three year expirience in this field. I am B.A & I have also done a Two year diploma course in computer hardware & Networking (MCSE).i need a job in danmark may I know any IT company will hire me for there please guide me about it.

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  26. Hi,i would like to know how i can find job in Denmark like a delivery driver,construction worker,dishwasher,kitchen help or hard worker in a farm.I have good command of english/written an spoken/.I would like to know also are there any job agencies that could help me with that?Will appreciate any suggestions and advices!Thank you in advance!!!

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  32. i have done my bachelors in IT and wish to do the job in IT field and also carry on my further studies in IT for master seek an appropriate job in scandinavian countries like sweden,denmark, norway etc.

    farhan abdul aziz
    karachi Pakistan

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  33. It is very difficult to find a job in Denmark, even if you speak the language. The fact that you are not Danish prevents you from getting a job. I came here for an MSc. I have to say that even the program curriculum is made for those students that have a BSc from a Danish university. All the international students need double effort to finish their studies. Half of the international students left in the first 5 months and I cant understand why dont the university authorities take action. I am talking about students from US, British, German universities etc. The bad thing about those students is that on your arrival here you spend a fortune to settle down and afterwards you have to leave.
    Concerning jobs: I ve been applying for jobs for the last 12 months and I didn’t land one. Danes are not the most interesting people in the world. You can only get close to them during the night, when everybody is rediculously stoned!!

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  34. please please hey people dont come to denmark there is no jobs if you are not a danish i lived in this country for 6 years i know the language and i went to usa for 3 years came back they told me you are out of our system and it has been almost a year i am here nothing happend no jobs no school nothing they want me to go back to us but i am here just becuase of my family this depressions country is sacks please please dont come for work here america is the best in the world at least they are not recist

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  36. hi all. I guess i was a lucky one, I just qualified as a teacher, seems the Danes might be a little rough around the edges in personality, but they all need to know and learn English, in primary school and in university, many Degrees are taught in English. Im a native English speaker, and I just landed a job in CPH, as a “learning assistant”. Meh its not a teaching job and im not paid as i would be in England. Its tough, I had to fight of 21 other applicants, 7 of which were Danes, but there are jobs, if your a native English speaker.

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  37. If anyone has time to read this, and is able to provide some advice on how I can move to Copenhagen and join my beloved partner, I’ll be most in debt to you:

    I hope to move to Denmark to join my partner who’s Danish, and even that is proving to be difficult.

    In terms of qualifications, I have over 5 years of prior customer service experience in the airline industry and luxury fashion industry, recently graduated with a UK Honours from London College of Fashion, and working for brands such as GUCCI, Miu Miu and PRADA even prior to my graduation. Right after graduation, I secured a job with Selfridges & Co. On top of that, I am very strong in communicating bilingually at native level in English, Mandarin with a fair command of Japanese.

    Sad to say, I walked into Illum and was told “sorry Danish only.”

    I NEED the Danish language in order to even START working there.
    There wasn’t even a chance to learn the language whilst I’m there.

    Copenhagen was named one of the top Fashion cities in Europe – and honestly, I won’t even think of moving there if it wasn’t because of my Danish partner and my hope to learn more about Denmark and the Danish lifestyle.

    The immigration laws for Spouses & Co-habitation are totally against foreign non-EU spouses.

    Are they trying to tell their own countrymen : MARRY ONLY EU.
    Why judge me according to my nationality?

    I’m Singaporean, and my country as I know it, are not participating in Youth Exchange Programmes overseas because they WANT us home (otherwise there won’t be any young talents left to contribute to the only resource my country has : Human Resource)

    Anyone has advice or help or contacts to aid me in my bid to join my partner in Denmark, and finally have a fulfilled relationship together?

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    • Hi Julie,

      I just read this, almost a year later. I am in a very similar situation – I am living in Canada and my partner is in Copenhagen. Did you have any luck finding a job there finally?

      Thanks,

      Kat

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      • Hi Julie,

        I just read this, almost a year later. I am in a very similar situation – I am living in Canada and my partner is in Copenhagen. Did you have any luck finding a job there finally?

        Thanks,

        Kat

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  38. Hi guys..This is Gopi from india.i am work in an MNC IT company for more then 3 years and now i am looking for a move to denmark.guys please suggest me in how to geta job over there.kindly drop me a mail at goppi1984@gmail.com.

    Thanks in advance

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  39. I’m racking my brain trying to figure out how to get employment in Denmark. I was told by a Danish citizen that I should consider moving to Sweden, getting citizenship there, and then after that relocate to Denmark. I’ve talked to several people in Denmark on my travels and more than a few of them have residence in name only in Sweden, hop on the train to Copenhagen, and primarily live in Denmark. I’m trying to get to Aarhus to be with the woman I love and it seems as if all of her friends are NOT native Danes……….several Germans, some Spaniards, Brits, Scots, etc. It seems to me that as long as you’re European you can get in…….if you’re an American, such as myself, you have to be a miracle worker. I have over 20 years of management experience in cinemas and retail and unfortunately I learned the valuable lesson early that in America that little degree you get after four years of education is about as useful as a warm bucket of hamster vomit. I worked my way up from the bottom and have held high paying positions in management fields. Since I have the actual experience I can work circles around almost anyone that comes in off the streets with a nice fresh degree. That works in the States but doesn’t in Denmark. I need some help. What can I do?

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    • My advice is to get creative, create your own niche or try something totally different….do something you love…use the opportuinty to try new things. Volunteer, go to expat meetups, set up information meetings, get to know how the system works, network, network, network….you could also go to the AmCham office and see if you can get some help there…..try everything and do not give up!

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  41. I am 22 years old iranian girl that study in first semester of third year of dentistry in philippines ,i want to get job as dental assistante or simple office worker or waiteres or any kind as of job that u suggest.

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