General information on working in Denmark
Read about the Danish labour market, e.g. unions and professional networks. Also get useful information on how to find a job in Denmark.
The Danish labour market
The Danish labour market is to a large extent regulated by the labour market itself, as opposed to by legislation. Under the Danish labour market model, the employer organisations and the unions reach voluntary collective agreements on pay and working conditions. Thus, unions and professional organisations play a prominent role in the Danish labour market.
Most unions offer assistance with pay and working conditions and other work-related issues. Some unions, especially those organising high-skilled professionals, also offer personal counselling and career planning, continuing education courses, and discount schemes on petrol, shopping centres, insurance, etc.
Unions and professional networks
Many Danish students enroll in a union while studying, because the unions offer professional activities of interest to students (company presentations, courses in job searching, etc.), assistance on work-related issues in regard to both part-time and full-time jobs, access to professional networks (through which some meet their future employer), etc. Many unions offer student memberships at a reduced price, and the membership fee is to some extent tax-deductible.
Union membership is not compulsory in Denmark and you are to some extent free to decide which union you wish to enroll in. The better the union suits your professional background, the better the union will serve your professional interests. Read more... ...and more
Finding a part-time/full-time job
Depending on the institution you are enrolled at and hence the part of Denmark you are living and studying in, finding a job can be a challenge (even Danish students/graduates).
Unlike in other countries, it is not statutory for private enterprises in Denmark to announce their vacancies to the general public (e.g. on company websites, in newspapers, on online job banks, etc.). Thus, it is common in Denmark to assume that for every vacancy announced by an enterprise to the general public, another vacant position exists that is not or will never be advertised. Therefore, there are always more vacancies than meets the (public) eye. These unannounced vacancies cover both formal vacancies (e.g. posted verbally in professional networks or social media) and latent vacancies (i.e. positions that get created based on unsolicited applications).
However, according to Danish law, public employers must announce their vacancies to the general public. Governmental institutions must post their vacancies on a central governmental website, and the five administrative regions and the ninety-eight municipalities in Denmark must post their vacancies in public, such as on their own websites. Thus, public employers in Denmark do not in general consider unsolicited applications and what you see (in public) is what you might get.
Web portals
In addition to posting the vacancies of the organisations on their own websites, most part-time and full-time positions, targeted at high-skilled professionals, are announced on different websites, see box to the right.
Unsolicited applications
Applying unsolicited is quite common in the private sector and many
Danes find their jobs by this method.
Writing an unsolicited application and becoming successful in this field is not an easy task, because you have to think of it as something completely different from applying for a posted vacancy. Whereas the form and content to some extent is given in a posted vacancy, it is up to you to create your job when you apply unsolicited. Needless to say, convince the employer that he/she can not survive in the market if he/she does not employ you.
In order to become successful in writing unsolicited applications, you have to think thoroughly about questions such as these - and be able to present the answers to the employer in a convincing way:
- Why am I indispensable for your company?
- What organisational needs can I meet?
- What am I excellent at?
- What is in it for the company - in financial and non-financial
terms?
Learning Danish
Though most Danes speak English, being able to speak some Danish will benefit you enormously and increase your chances of finding a job in Denmark.
Whether you are an international student studying in Denmark, or an international professional working in Denmark, you have the right to participate in Danish courses for free. To obtain this right you have to be at least 18 years old, hold a residence permit/registration certificate and a CPR-number. Please contact the Citizen Service or the Public Employment Service ('Jobcenter' in Danish) in your municipality to get information about scheduled courses in your municipality.
Online Danish courses are also available. The web-based courses are targeted at both beginners and those who already have some knowledge of the Danish language. Students, graduates and other professionals can use them to reach a good level of linguistic proficiency.
This article is provided by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Danish Agency for International Education. Also see www.studyindenmark.dk
