Working in Denmark: A weekly roundup of the latest jobs news and talking points
The Local brings you a roundup of the latest jobs news and talking points related to working life in Denmark. This week we're looking at issues including job vacancy figures and government proposals on unemployment welfare.
Number of job vacancies highest at record level. How can they be filled?
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.
But as vacancies have soared over the summer, so has the number of people employed on the Danish labour market, with unemployment now close to dropping under the level it was at immediately prior to the Covid-19 crisis.
This points to a lack of available labour in Denmark, and a problem politicians and organisations have begun discussing solutions to.
You can read more about that here.
Government expects welfare reforms to boost workforce
Earlier this week, the government presented proposals to change welfare rules which it believes 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.
In addition to this, people who have spent a certain amount of time on basic unemployment benefits and those subject to immigration rules could be given mandatory work in order to be able to claim the welfare.
This will get more people, particularly women with non-Western heritage, to take up jobs or simply “get out of their homes”, the government says, but opponents have called it “tantamount to state-backed social dumping”.
READ ALSO: What do Denmark’s proposed welfare reforms mean for foreign residents?
Unemployment figures latest
The most recent unemployment figures show that the number of people without a job in Denmark fell slightly by 500 between June and July. It should be noted that the two months include annual leave in a lot of sectors.
That gave a total number of around 108,600 jobseekers in Denmark or an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent.
Unemployment has now almost fallen to the level it was at prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest total is 5,800 higher than the number of unemployed in February 2020.
The all-time lowest unemployment rate in Denmark is 2.4 percent, recorded in 2008. It reached over 6 percent in the years after the global financial crisis and peaked at 5.5 percent during the coronavirus crisis.
Unemployment in Denmark falls to lowest level since pandemic began
Did you know?
If you are covered by the Danish Salaried Employees Act (Funktionærloven), then you are entitled to certain notice periods before any significant change happens to the terms of your employment.
You can see in your contract whether you are a salaried employee (funktionær), but generally, the term applies to staff who have been employed for over 1 month and work more than 8 hours weekly, on average.
Sectors in which staff are considered funktionærer include business and administration, purchasing, selling and certain types of warehouse work, technical and cleaning services; and management and supervision.
READ ALSO: What you need to know if you lose your job in Denmark
Useful links
Below you’ll find a couple of helpful articles, guides and resources put together by The Local, which cover key aspects of working life in Denmark.
- The bureaucratic and tax issues hitting commuters between Sweden and Denmark
- When do I have the right to a day off work in Denmark?
Is this useful?
Please get in touch with me at [email protected] to let me know if this weekly feature is useful and any suggestions you have for jobs related articles on The Local Denmark.
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See Also
Number of job vacancies highest at record level. How can they be filled?
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.
But as vacancies have soared over the summer, so has the number of people employed on the Danish labour market, with unemployment now close to dropping under the level it was at immediately prior to the Covid-19 crisis.
This points to a lack of available labour in Denmark, and a problem politicians and organisations have begun discussing solutions to.
You can read more about that here.
Government expects welfare reforms to boost workforce
Earlier this week, the government presented proposals to change welfare rules which it believes 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.
In addition to this, people who have spent a certain amount of time on basic unemployment benefits and those subject to immigration rules could be given mandatory work in order to be able to claim the welfare.
This will get more people, particularly women with non-Western heritage, to take up jobs or simply “get out of their homes”, the government says, but opponents have called it “tantamount to state-backed social dumping”.
READ ALSO: What do Denmark’s proposed welfare reforms mean for foreign residents?
Unemployment figures latest
The most recent unemployment figures show that the number of people without a job in Denmark fell slightly by 500 between June and July. It should be noted that the two months include annual leave in a lot of sectors.
That gave a total number of around 108,600 jobseekers in Denmark or an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent.
Unemployment has now almost fallen to the level it was at prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest total is 5,800 higher than the number of unemployed in February 2020.
The all-time lowest unemployment rate in Denmark is 2.4 percent, recorded in 2008. It reached over 6 percent in the years after the global financial crisis and peaked at 5.5 percent during the coronavirus crisis.
Unemployment in Denmark falls to lowest level since pandemic began
Did you know?
If you are covered by the Danish Salaried Employees Act (Funktionærloven), then you are entitled to certain notice periods before any significant change happens to the terms of your employment.
You can see in your contract whether you are a salaried employee (funktionær), but generally, the term applies to staff who have been employed for over 1 month and work more than 8 hours weekly, on average.
Sectors in which staff are considered funktionærer include business and administration, purchasing, selling and certain types of warehouse work, technical and cleaning services; and management and supervision.
READ ALSO: What you need to know if you lose your job in Denmark
Useful links
Below you’ll find a couple of helpful articles, guides and resources put together by The Local, which cover key aspects of working life in Denmark.
- The bureaucratic and tax issues hitting commuters between Sweden and Denmark
- When do I have the right to a day off work in Denmark?
Is this useful?
Please get in touch with me at [email protected] to let me know if this weekly feature is useful and any suggestions you have for jobs related articles on The Local Denmark.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
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