What is the job outlook for Denmark?

If you are keen on an overseas job, then you should probably consider Denmark. Thanks to its location, the country is an important distribution point for Europe. The top exports from here include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, medical equipment, food products, electronics etc. As for job opportunities, most of them are in the services sector.

According to a report published by CEDEFOP, the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training, the highest employment growth in Denmark will be in the construction, business and other services and non-marketed services. Employment is expected to be stable in the manufacturing and the distribution and transport sector.

The report forecasts that the highest job openings which will include new jobs and replacements will be for jobs as business and administration associate professionals, teaching professionals and personal care workers.

CEDEFOP has predicted employment growth in the following sectors:

According to the report, around 34% of the job opportunities will be for professionals in high-level occupations in the fields of science, engineering healthcare, business and teaching followed by around 18% for technicians and associate professionals.

The forecast on CEDEFOP covers the period up to 2030. It took Global Economic Development into account until May 2019. For seven years in a row in 2019, the European economy had been in a continuous mode of expansion and every European nation, including Denmark, saw a strong increase in GDP.

But with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, short-term impact on the economy has been created, but long-term factors that will impact job outlook in European countries such as aging populations, increased use of automation / artificial intelligence, globalization, resource scarcity, etc. will continue to be influential.

 While Denmark continues to implement measures to control the pandemic and move its economy, these long-term factors are likely to prevail which will impact the job outlook. Here is a list of the top sectors that will see employment change according to CEDEFOP.

Shortage list

According to the CEDEFOP, a majority of job openings in Denmark will require a high level of skills. In order to succeed in your job hunt in Denmark, you must keep a tab on the list of occupations where there is a skill shortage.

The government regularly publishes a Positive List which has details of occupations that are in shortage in the country. Non-EU/EEA jobseekers will be eligible for a work and residence permit if they succeed in getting a job offer in one of these shortage occupations from an employer in Denmark.

Those who have applied under the Denmark Green Card scheme will gain bonus points on their points test if they have experience in any of the occupations on the Positive List.