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Denmark has been ranked as "the happiest place in the world", based on health, wealth, and education standards in 2006-2008. Living and working in Denmark will likely increase the quality of your life in terms of happiness!

 

Strong growth in the Danish economy has resulted in a rise in employment and a decrease in unemployment. Therefore, Denmark needs foreign manpower. A series of initiatives have been implemented to make it easier for foreign workers to work in Denmark.

 

The participation in the labour market in Denmark is very high. Of those aged 16-66, 76.5% are in the labour force. In 2006, this corresponded to approx. 2.75m people employed on the ordinary labour market as wage-earners or self-employed, while 107,000 were unemployed. In 2006, the distribution of employment on economic sectors was as follows: 3.2% in primary trades, 20.8% in secondary trades, 40.9% in a diffuse group of tertiary private sector trades and finally 35.2% in public and personal services, where the great majority are public employees. In recent decades, there have been major changes to the distribution of employment on sectors and currently the dominant part of the labour force, approx. 75%, is employed in the service sector.

 

The Danish authorities are launching a comprehensive campaign in 2008 to attract competent foreign workers to the Danish labour market. Attractive tax schemes, easier access to green cards and reduction of the salary threshold which provides direct access to the Danish labour market are among the government’s initiatives to attract foreign experts and other workers.

 

“The government has a twin-track strategy, raising the pressure to get the increasingly small group of unemployed Danes into work, while working hard to attract foreign workers with the right competencies to Denmark,” says Minister for Employment Claus Hjort Frederiksen. “With a current total of 60,000 vacant jobs in the public and private sector, we need to provide easier and more attractive access for foreign workers to the Danish labour market if we are going to ensure continued welfare and economic growth,” says the minister.

 

Attractive tax scheme

 

The government’s plan comprises 26 different initiatives, including improvement of the current taxation scheme for foreign researchers and highly paid key workers. Taxation in Denmark is applied on a progressive scale, i.e. the last earned krone is subject to relatively higher taxation than the first earned. Denmark also has the world’s second largest tax burden, but unlike other countries where many public services are paid for separately, they are free in Denmark. Taxation will be eased on highly qualified researchers and other highly paid key workers, who can choose between working for three years in Denmark at a gross taxation rate of 25% or working for five years at a gross taxation rate of 33%. Approval of foreign research qualifications will also be streamlined.

 

Easier access

 

Highly qualified workers in fields such as IT, healthcare and engineering have the opportunity to seek work in Denmark either by means of a Green Card or a special scheme where foreign workers can obtain a Job Card.

 

Foreign workers can obtain a Green Card based on their training, work experience, linguistic or other skills. The jobseeker is awarded points according to specific criteria, and once a Green Card has been obtained, the holder can seek jobs in Denmark without needing to apply for a separate work or residence permit.

 

The Job Card Scheme has so far meant that foreign workers have been granted a work permit and residence permit in Denmark if they could document a job offer with a minimum salary of DKK 450,000 annually. The government is now reducing this to DKK 375,000 annually, which will considerably enlarge the group of potential workers at middle management level.

“Work-in-Denmark”

 

The government will also make it easier for international corporations to use staff from other parts of their international organisations. Until now it has only been possible to immediately transfer staff to Denmark if they came from affiliates located within the European Union. In the future, it will also be possible to redeploy staff from outside the EU without needing to apply for separate work and residence permission each time.

 

The government will also establish a special “Work-in-Denmark” center. The center will work actively to attract qualified labour to Denmark and will function as a one-stop-shop for foreigners with the right qualifications who want to work in Denmark. Initially a pilot center will be established in one country outside the EU.

 

Danish companies and public institutions have a labour shortage among the professional groups listed below – the positive list – which are geared to the Job Card and Green Card schemes:

 

Knowledge workers in natural sciences and technology, IT specialists, engineers, medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses, radiologists, midwives, dentists, veterinarians, architects, land surveyors, building technicians, agronomists, accountants/auditors, geometricians, lawyers, actuaries, economists and marine engineers.

 

The Positive List consists of a number of professional fields currently experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals.

* Academic work
* Construction
* IT and telecommunication
* Management
* Educational, social and religious work
* Sales, purchases and marketing
* Health, healthcare and personal care
* Freight forwarding, postal services, storage and engine operation
* Education and tuition

 

Below follows an overview of all job titles on the Positive List, divided into professional fields.

 

Academic work

* Accountant
Requirement: Master's degree

* Building engineer
Requirement: Master's degree

* Business controller
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Construction engineer
Requirement: Master's degree

* Dentist
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Economy controller
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Electric engineer
Requirement: Medium-cycle higher education

* Energy consultant
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Financial controller
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* General practitioner
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Geophysicist
Requirement: Master's degree

* Health economist
Requirement: Master's degree

* Hospital doctor
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Hospital physicist
Requirement: Master's degree

* IT engineer
Requirement: Medium-cycle higher education

* Lawyer
Requirement: Master's degree

* Lecturer, natural science and technology
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Mathematician
Requirement: Master's degree

* Mechanical engineer
Requirement: Medium-cycle higher education

* Medical consultant
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Medical specialist
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Pharmacist
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Plastics engineer
Requirement: Medium-cycle higher education

* Planning engineer
Requirement: Master's degree

* Researcher, natural science and technology
Requirement: Master's degree

* Psychologist
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

* Veterinarian
Requirement: Master's degree + Danish authorisation

 

IT and telecommunication

* Database developer
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* IT architect
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* IT consultant
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* IT project manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* IT quality manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* IT salesperson
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* Network consultant
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* Software developer
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

* System developer
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' IT education

 

Office, administration, accounting and finance

* Sign language interpreter
Requirement: Documentation of professional Bachelor's degree

 

Management

* Accounting manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* After school care centre manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Branch manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Chief financial officer
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Deputy head of institution
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Foreman, operation and production
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Head of department
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Head of institute/centre
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Head of institution
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Head of institution department
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Marketing manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Production manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Technical manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

 

Educational, social and religious work

* Remedial teacher
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree

* Social educator
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree

* Social educator of children, young people and adults with special needs
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree

* Social worker
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree

 

Sales, purchases and marketing

* Account manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Druggist
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Ironmonger
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

* Key account manager
Requirement: Documentation of at least three years' education at university level

 

Health, healthcare and personal care

* Anaesthetic nurse
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Bioanalyst
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Chiropractor
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Head physiotherapist
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Head midwife
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Head nurse
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Head radiographer
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Head bioanalyst
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Midwife
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Nurse
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Physiotherapist
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Operating theatre nurse
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Radiographer
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

 

Freight forwarding, postal services, storage and engine operation

* Marine engineer

Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

 

Education and tuition

* Continuation school teacher
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Primary and lower secondary school teacher
Requirement: Professional Bachelor's degree + Danish authorisation

* Special needs teacher (dyslexia)
Requirement: Documentation of professional Bachelor's degree

 

Before coming to Denmark to work for a Danish employer, you must remember the following:

 

Take the following personal documents with you:

* Valid passport
* Birth certificate or baptismal record
* Marriage certificate, if you are married
* Children's birth certificates or baptismal records, if you have children

 

Social security

 

Remember to take your EU health insurance card and an E-form with you. Contact the authorities in the country from which you are moving for more information.

 

Employment contract

 

Check the terms of employment in your contract so that you know the conditions you are being offered. Ask questions about things you would like to know about that are not covered in the contract or that you do not understand.

 

EU citizens

 

Apply for a registration certificate at the regional state administration upon arrival in Denmark.

 

Citizens of all other countries

 

Apply for a work and residence permit before you come to Denmark. Your application must be submitted to a Danish representative office, e.g. an embassy or consulate general in your home country.

 

Applicants covered by the Positive List, the Pay Limit Scheme,the Corporate Scheme, the Green Card Scheme and researchers can apply for work and residence permits at the Danish Immigration Service after arrival in Denmark.

 

Relocation

 

Remember to report your relocation in the country from which you are moving.

 

Lodging

 

Employers will often assist you with locating lodging – but only for the first few weeks in some cases. If your employer does not provide such assistance, it is a good idea that you find a place to live before coming to Denmark.

 

Insurance

 

When you work in Denmark, you have the same health insurance coverage as Danish citizens. If you desire travel insurance coverage, you must take out a policy before travelling to Denmark. Ask your current insurance company what your property, liability and accident insurance policies cover when you live and work in Denmark.

 

Authorisation

 

Apply for authorisation/approval of your training, if required in your professional field.

 

As mentioned above, Denmark welcomes foreign nationals to work there, and has eased the process for application, which sure makes it a good time to seek employment in Denmark!

Source: Denmark, Nyidanmark

EU Jobs

 

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