If we take a national look, we see that the number of wage earners has reached 3 million, and this record can largely be attributed to the companies' ability to attract international labour.
Unemployment is still very low and we are looking at the fact that the workforce in Denmark will become even smaller, and when we hear about the need for heads and hands in both the public and private sectors in the coming years, a thick line is drawn under the fact that we have a need for our international colleagues.
And it is not just in Denmark that the demographic development is going that way, it is all over Europe and the competition is fierce.
In 2023, there were 318.000 full-time foreign wage earners in Denmark, which corresponds to 15% of the workforce.
In addition to raising Denmark's GDP by a three-digit billion amount and supplement the public finances, then we could also ask ourselves the question - what will our growth potential, the competitiveness of our companies and our welfare look like if we do not maintain a strong focus on supporting both the recruitment and retention of international employees - especially in areas outside the larger cities.
The figure below shows that as much as 80 per cent of the progress in total employment in Denmark alone is attributed to international labour.
In Billund municipality, the proportion of international employees is just under 18 per cent, which is well above our neighboring municipalities. This emphasizes the need for international recruitment in our business life and it is spread across industries and company sizes.
It may sound lopsided, but we find that it can be easier for our companies to recruit abroad than among candidates around our larger cities in Denmark.
Business-oriented service
Billund Erhverv handles Billund Municipality's service towards our local businesses, which include would like to look internationally and also towards the international employees who come to our area.
The companies acknowledge the effort in DI's analysis from 2023, where Billund Municipality achieves a ranking as No. 1 among all the country's municipalities in terms of efforts to attract and connect international labour.
An increased focus on attracting international labor also requires increased knowledge of the process and answers to concrete questions in connection with recruiting and coming to Denmark. This applies to both the company and the employee. The questions can be many: how do I do in relation to work and residence permits?, what about a bank account?, what about that MitID? and much more.
Here, Billund Erhverv helps to create an overview of the process and is also happy to have a conversation with the candidate if he/she needs to learn more about the options for school/care options, Danish lessons and, not least, a place to live.
The effort for international employees is about the necessary qualified labor for our companies, but it is also about the potential for settlement and new citizens.
If you are considering recruiting internationally or if you already have international employees, you are more than welcome to reach out to Newcomer Service/Business Coordinator Marianne Thomsen at mkt@billunderhverv.dk or 2269 2498.
