Working in Denmark

If you are going to work in Denmark, there are some things you should know and consider. When you are employed, a number of employment conditions apply. Here you can find short information on employment contracts, weekly hours, trade unions, etc.

There is legislation concerning the working environment, holiday, equal treatment and equal pay. You can find more information on Workindenmark which is the official Danish website for international recruitment. The website is in English, German and Danish. There is also an abbreviated version in Polish.

• Workindenmark (new window)

You can also obtain more information from the Danish Working Environment Authority:

• Danish Working Environment Authority (new window)

Employers must provide employees with an employment contract outlining the terms of employment.

Employers must state, among other things, what you have agreed on with regard to pay, place of work, weekly hours, start of the employment relationship, holiday, periods of notice and the length of the employment relationship (if it is time limited).

In general, foreign workers in Denmark are covered by the same rules and agreements that apply to Danes.

Here you can find what an employment contract at least must contain information on:

• Workindenmark - employment contract (new window)

Even if there is no statutory provision on what constitutes normal weekly hours, the normal working week in Denmark is 37 hours according to most collective agreements.

The majority of people work from Monday up to and including Friday in the period between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Weekly hours are, however, lower in connection with shift work and permanent night work. The working week may not exceed a maximum of 48 hours including overtime calculated over a period of four months (set by the EU). However, this does not apply to all areas.

If you work less than normal weekly hours, it is a matter of so-called reduced hours or part-time work.

There are various ways in which you can have your foreign education and training assessed and recognised in Denmark. The Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education provides assessments of non-Danish degrees, diplomas and certificates – comparing qualifications with the nearest Danish equivalent so that your CV makes sense to a Danish employer.

If your profession is regulated by law, you do not need to ask for a qualification assessment. Instead, you need to apply for an authorisation in order to work within your profession. This rule applies if you work with, for instance, various hazardous materials or heavy machinery, and if you work in certain health-care professions.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA Member State and only work in Denmark for short periods of time, it may be sufficient to send a report to the public authority that regulates the sector you work in.

You will find more information about diploma recognition on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science:

• Guide to diploma recognition (new window)

In some cases, you must obtain a Danish authorisation. For example, foreign-trained doctors must be authorised by the Danish Patient Safety Authority.

Read more about authorisation for foreign-trained doctors on the website of the Danish Patient Safety Authority:

• Application for registration as a medical doctor - Danish Patient Safety Authority (new window)
• Registration of healthcare professionals - Danish Patient Safety Authority (new window)

Read more about access to regulated professions on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science:

• Access to regulated professions (new window)

When you negotiate pay and employment terms, it is an advantage to know a little about the special aspects of the Danish labour market. At the majority of Danish workplaces, pay and employment conditions are regulated via collective agreements between trade unions and employer associations. Therefore, there is no statutory minimum wage in Denmark. The social partners are responsible for compliance with the collective agreements that have been concluded.

The vast majority of Danes are members of a trade union, and as a foreign employee you can join a trade union.

More information about trade unions:

• Workindenmark - Trade unions (new window)

All employees in Denmark have the right to five weeks’ holiday in each holiday year. The holiday year runs from 1 May to 30 April.

If you are an employee in Denmark, you have the right to five weeks’ paid holiday from your employer. This is on the assumption that you have worked for an entire calendar year prior to the holiday year.

If you have been employed for less than one calendar year, you earn 2.08 days of paid holiday per month of employment. If you have not earned the right to five weeks’ paid holiday, you still have the right to up to five weeks’ holiday without pay.

You and your employer normally arrange when you take your holiday. All employees have the right to three weeks’ consecutive holiday in the period 1 May to 30 September.

In Denmark, we have a homepage, workindenmark.dk, which advises people and organisations on all aspects related to recruiting new employees from outside Denmark. Workindenmark.dk helps companies and job seekers find the information they need. There are special sections targeted at highly-educated individuals, the health sector, international students and seasonal employees.

The homepage offers advice on Danish authorities and on how to create a good foundation for your new life in Denmark.

The website is in English.

• Workindenmark (new window)

Workindenmark.dk includes access to a CV bank and a job bank.

In the job bank, you can search for jobs in Denmark within companies looking specifically for international labour. You can sign up for a subscription service and receive relevant job advertisements.

This requires that you register for the job bank’s subscription service:

• Workindenmark - Create job subscription (new window)

You can also submit your CV to Workindenmark.dk’s CV bank and make your qualifications and competencies visible to Danish companies.

• CV bank - Workindenmark (new window)

A total of 91 job centres are placed throughout Denmark. Basically, there is one job centre in each municipality in Denmark.

In each job centre you will have free access to computers as well as general information on how to find a job in Denmark. Please note that the job centres do not have the capacity to translate CVs or job vacancies. The concept is self-service, which means that the job centres provide resources enabling you to find work, and an IT-system to advertise job vacancies for employers by using a job and CV database called "Jobnet". This can be accessed through the job centre computers or via the following website:

• Jobnet - English (new window)

Map of Danish job centres (all names are in Danish):

• Map and jobcenters (new window)

It is a legal requirement that employers must provide employees with an employment contract outlining the terms of employment, regardless of whether there is an applicable collective agreement. As the terms of employment are primarily regulated by collective agreement, the employment contract will typically include reference to the applicable collective agreement.

The standard working week in Denmark is a five-day week of 37 hours per week. Primary working hours are Monday-Friday from 06:00 - 18:00. Lunch breaks are typically 30 minutes. Lunch breaks are paid as regular working hours in the public sector, whereas most private employees pay for lunch breaks themselves. However, this varies from workplace to workplace.

Working hours are not regulated by law in the private sector, but rather determined by collective agreement or individual contracts.

Working culture in Denmark: Most Danish workplaces are characterised by a horizontal structure and open dialogue between management and employees. The working culture is cooperation-oriented and the working environment is characterised by open and informal social conventions.

On the website Workindenmark.dk, you can read more about a number of things that may be relevant for you to know if you are going to work in Denmark:

• Workindenmark (new window)

The Danish labour market is, to a great extent, regulated by the various players in the labour market themselves, in contrast to regulation by legislation. Under the Danish Model, employers and employees reach voluntary collective agreements on pay and working conditions. The trade unions play a pivotal role in the Danish labour market, and there is a high level of union membership among Danish workers.

Trade unions assist with cases regarding pay and working conditions and can help in connection with work-related injury cases, rehabilitation, etc. Some trade unions also offer personal consultancy and career planning or offer discount schemes on petrol, shopping centres, insurance, etc. These offers vary according to the industry with which the trade union is associated.

Your choice of trade union depends on your training/position and workplace. The various trade unions are associated with specific unemployment insurance funds, but you do not need to be a member of both a trade union and an unemployment insurance fund – it is possible to be a member of just one of these organisations, independently of the other.

Many workplaces have trade union representatives, who represent the trade union in the workplace and employees interests vis-à-vis management.

An industrial injury is an accident or disease caused by the work or working conditions. It may be caused by a fall at the workplace where you break your leg, a back injury sustained due to heavy lifting, eczema due to an allergic reaction to substances in the working environment, a severe mental strain etc.

If you have been injured in connection with your work, this will be reported by your employer to the employer's insurance company or by your GP to Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring (AES).

Your accident can be recognised as an industrial injury if:

• the accident occurred as a consequence of your work or the conditions under which the work was carried out
• the severity of your injury exceeds the minimum threshold set out in applicable legislation
• the distress you experience is caused by the injury you sustained in the accident.

Your disease can be recognised as an industrial injury if:

• the disease is on the list of occupational diseases
• it can be documented that the disease has been caused by your work.

If your disease is recognised as an occupational disease, you may be entitled to compensation.

Who must report an industrial injury?

In the vast majority of cases, you do not need to do anything in order for the industrial injury to be reported.

If you have been in an accident, it is your employer's duty to report the injury to the insurance company with which your employer has taken out industrial injury insurance. Initially, your employer's insurance company processes the claim. The insurance company will gather information about the accident and the injury you have sustained. The reporting must take place within nine days at the latest of the injury having been sustained. Even if the injury does not result in any compensation, the employer must still report it if the injured person is unable to fully resume work five weeks after the injury was sustained.

Your employer does not have a duty to report occupational diseases. If you have a disease that may have been caused by your work, your GP or specialist reports this to Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring (AES).

• Read more about industrial injuries (new window)
• Contact AES - Case handling (new window)
• Contact AES - Compensation (new window)

A total of 91 job centres are placed throughout all of Denmark. Basically, there is one job centre in each municipality in Denmark.

In each job centre, you will find free access to computers as well as information on how to find a job in Denmark. Please take special notice that the job centres do not have the capacity to translate CVs or job vacancies. The concept is self-service, which means that the job centres provide resources enabling you to find work, and an IT system to advertise job vacancies for employers by using a job and CV database called "Jobnet".

This can be accessed through the job centre computers or via the following website:

• Jobnet - English (new window)

To see a map of Danish job centres (all names are in Danish):

• Map and jobcenters (new window)

In contrast to other forms of social security in Denmark, the Danish unemployment insurance system is a voluntary insurance scheme. It means that you are not automatically insured against unemployment.

If you want to be insured against unemployment when working in Denmark, you have to join a Danish unemployment insurance fund. Once you have joined an unemployment insurance fund, you must pay contributions.

An unemployment insurance policy is taken out from an unemployment insurance fund, also known as an "A-kasse". These are private associations.

• List of unemployment insurance funds (new window - in Danish)

If you become unemployed as a member of an unemployment insurance fund, you will under certain conditions receive unemployment benefits. You can contact an unemployment insurance fund within your field of work and get more information about membership and your rights.

You are only eligible to receive unemployment benefits when you have been member of an unemployment insurance fund for at least 12 months. The amount of time that you have been insured in your home country may be recognized if you remember to submit documentation for this to your Danish “A-kasse” within 8 weeks after arrival to Denmark.”

You choose whether you want to join an interdisciplinary unemployment insurance fund or an unemployment insurance fund which operates within specific occupational fields.

It is also possible to be a member of an unemployment insurance fund if you are a self-employed person.

To see a list of Danish unemployment insurance funds:

• List of unemployment insurance funds (new window - in Danish)

Først og fremmest skal du have ret til at bo og arbejde i Danmark.

• hvis du er nordisk statsborger, kan du frit bo og arbejde i Danmark
• hvis du er EU/EØS-statsborger, skal du have et EU-opholdsdokument, som beviser, at du har ret til at bo og arbejde i Danmark.
• hvis du er statsborger i et land uden for Norden og EU/EØS, skal du have en gyldig opholds- og arbejdstilladelse for at kunne bo og arbejde i Danmark.

Uanset hvilket statsborgerskab, du har, skal du gå til din kommunes borgerservice og få et cpr-nummer og et sundhedskort.

Læs mere om nordiske statsborgere

• Borgere fra Norden

Læs mere om EU/EØS-statsborgere

• Borgere fra et EU/EØS-land

Læs mere om statsborgere fra et land uden for EU/EØS

• Borgere fra et land uden for EU/EØS

Hvis du som udlænding arbejder i Danmark, har du som udgangspunkt de samme arbejdsvilkår som danske statsborgere – uanset, om du arbejder i den private eller den offentlige sektor. Du arbejder altså under de samme vilkår med hensyn til løn, ferie, afskedigelse, arbejdsløshed, sundhed og sikkerhed på arbejdspladsen.

Læs mere om arbejdsvilkår og rettigheder på workindenmark.dk

• Om at arbejde i Danmark på workindenmark.dk (nyt vindue)

Her er nogle links, som kan være relevante under jobsøgning i Danmark.

Jobnet.dk

Jobnet.dk er Danmarks største jobportal, og portalen er de danske jobcentres tilbud på internettet til alle jobsøgende og arbejdsgivere i hele landet.

• jobnet.dk - dit jobcenter online (nyt vindue)

Workindenmark

Web-portalen workindenmark.dk tilbyder vejledning om international rekruttering for både arbejdsgivere og udenlandske jobsøgere samt en job- og cv-bank, der er skræddersyet til international rekruttering.

På portalen kan du få viden om arbejds- og levevilkårene, fx skatteforhold og boligsituationen i Danmark.

I job-banken kan du finde ledige jobs, og i cv-banken kan du lægge dit cv ind. Hjemmesiden findes på dansk, engelsk, tysk og polsk.

• Workindenmark (nyt vindue)

EURES

EURES (European Employment Service) er et fælles-europæisk jobformidlingssystem.

• EURES (nyt vindue)
• Læs om at søge job eller studere i EU på eures.dk (nyt vindue)

Øresundsregionen

Jobcentrene på Sjælland og Bornholm samarbejder med arbejdsformidlingen i Skåne om at bidrage til udviklingen af et fælles arbejdsmarked i Øresundsregionen. På Jobnet.dk kan man finde stillinger i hele Øresundsregionen. Oresunddirekt.com tilbyder desuden vejledning om at arbejde i Danmark på svensk og engelsk.

• Oresunddirekt (nyt vindue)

Grænselandet

Oplysninger om rekruttering og arbejdsmarkedsforhold på tværs af den dansk-tyske grænse kan du finde på Eures-kompas.eu.

• Eures-kompas.eu (nyt vindue)

Hvis du overvejer at starte egen virksomhed i Danmark eller udvide din eksisterende virksomhed med en filial i Danmark, kan du finde nyttige oplysninger på Investindk.com

• Investindenmark (nyt vindue)

Hvis du bor eller arbejder i Danmark, har du pligt til at betale skat efter danske regler. For at kunne betale skat, skal du have et cpr-nummer og et skattekort.

• Ansøg om skattekort (nyt vindue)

Læs mere om skattereglerne hos workindenmark.dk

• Workindenmark om skatteregler (nyt vindue)

Hvis du som nordisk statsborger arbejder eller opholder dig i Danmark i en periode, forpligter du dig også til at betale skat efter danske regler. Du kan dog fortsat råde over en bolig og være forpligtet til at betale skat i det land, hvor du bor eller er flyttet fra.

Hvis du er fuldt skattepligtig i to lande, vil du som udgangspunkt skulle betale skat i begge lande af samme indkomst og formue. I disse tilfælde er det vigtigt at få klarlagt, i hvilket land du har skattemæssigt hjemsted efter bestemmelserne i den nordiske skatteaftale, så du undgår at blive dobbeltbeskattet.

Du kan læse mere om skattepligt og dobbeltbeskatning på Nordisk eTax:

• Om den nordiske dobbeltbeskatningsoverenskomst (nyt vindue)
• Om dobbeltbeskatningsaftalen - nordisk overenskomst (nyt vindue)

Hvis du har gjort en uddannelse færdig i udlandet og ønsker at søge arbejde i Danmark på baggrund af uddannelsen, kan du få den vurderet af Styrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse. Styrelsen hører under Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet.

Vurderingen kan bruges til at dokumentere dine kvalifikationer over for en arbejdsgiver.

• Styrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse: Guide til vurdering og anerkendelse af udenlandske uddannelser (nyt vindue)

Der findes ca. 130 lovregulerede erhverv i Danmark – fx læge, folkeskolelærer, advokat og brandmand. Hvis du ønsker at søge job inden for et af de lovregulerede erhverv, er det nødvendigt at få dit udenlandske eksamensbevis godkendt, da du skal kunne opfylde en række specifikke krav.

Bemærk, at der findes særlige regler for EU/EØS-borgere.

• Styrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse: Lovregulerede erhverv: autorisation m.v. (nyt vindue)

Du kan klage over afgørelsen på en ansøgning om opholdstilladelse til Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet.

Du kan klage over afgørelsen på en ansøgning om EU/EØS-opholdsbevis til Udlændingestyrelsen.

Du kan ikke klage over de vurderinger, som Styrelsen for Forskning og Uddannelse træffer, men styrelsen skal tage stilling til alle henvendelser, den modtager, og kan vælge at foretage en ny vurdering, hvis du fx har nye oplysninger om din udenlandske uddannelse.

Hvis du ønsker at klage over et afslag om optagelse på en uddannelse, skal du henvende dig til uddannelsesstedet.

Hvis du er uenig i en afgørelse om merit for din udenlandske uddannelse, kan du klage til Kvalifikationsnævnet via uddannelsesstedet.