On this page you will find
information about

WORKING IN DENMARK

What are you looking for information about?

Our offers

  • Searching for, finding and successfully applying to jobs in Denmark comes with its own culture and set of unspoken rules. During our monthly job search seminar for international job seekers in North Denmark, we open the black box “job hunting in Denmark” and share our tips and tricks with you. Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are currently studying, unemployed or looking to change jobs. Participation is free of charge.

    Topics covered during the seminar:

    • CV and cover letter: How to impress without sticking out negatively

    • Networking & unsolicited applications: Making it on the invisible job market

    • LinkedIn: Navigating and utilising the Danes’ favourite professional social network

    • Job interviews: The final step

    Every third month, we offer the job search seminar as a webinar. You can see the upcoming seminars and sign up here. Sign-up is required.

    Following the seminar, you will be invited to one of our CV drop-in sessions, where you get the chance to receive feedback on your updated CV and guidance based on your personal situation. You can see upcoming sessions and register here. NB: spots are limited and sign-up is required.

  • Spouse Space is an initiative designed to support accompanying spouses and partners in North Denmark. We know that moving to a new country can be exciting but also challenging – especially when it comes to building a professional network and finding your place in the local community. That’s exactly what Spouse Space helps with.

    The program focuses on both professional and social integration. On the professional side, you’ll get tools to understand the Danish job market, strengthen your job search strategies, and learn about workplace culture. On the social side, you’ll connect with others in the same situation and start building a network here.

    We run the program twice a year – once in the Spring and once in the Fall. It’s free, it’s in English, and you can join whether you just arrived or have already been here for some time. Each program includes 5–6 events spread over about three months. Every event has a job-search perspective, combined with a social or cultural element.

    We are very proud of Spouse Space because it creates real opportunities – both for career development and for building connections.

    Read more and register for the next program here.

  • International House North Denmark is the public contact point for citizens that reside in the North Denmark region (Nordjylland) and wish to transfer unemployment benefits from another EU-country to Denmark (PDU2 document).

    For transferring your unemployment benefits from your home country to Denmark (PDU2), please visit or contact International House North Denmark.

    Email: info@ihnd.dk 

    Phone:+45 99 31 15 30

Job search

  • If you are coming to Denmark with diploma, degree or certificate from another country, it can be useful to request an official recognition and translation of your qualification(s) from the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.

    The agency’s assessment and recognition can help you in your job search, with credit transfer, when applying for training programmes/courses in Denmark, and to determine your pay grade.

    You can read more about the benefits of a recognition and start the process here.

    Note that in order to practice some professions, it is necessary to acquire a Danish authorization. In these cases, the assessment of the qualification is usually included in the application for authorization and might therefore be handled by another authority.

  • Certain professions – e.g., medical doctor – are protected and may therefore only be practiced in Denmark by trained professionals that hold the respective Danish authorization.

    Please note that the authorization process can – depending on the profession and where you obtained your degree and training – be a lengthy process. We therefore advise you to carefully read the rules, regulations and steps that apply to your profession before moving to Denmark.

    You can find more information, a full list of all regulated professions and the agencies responsible for granting authorisations here.

    Direct link for healthcare/medical professionals.

    Direct link for teachers.

  • The good CV
    A strong CV in Denmark is clear, concise, and tailored to the job you are applying for. Focus on relevant experience, results, and skills, and keep the layout simple and easy to read. One to two pages is usually enough.

    The good cover letter
    A good cover letter shows your motivation and explains why you are a strong match for the position. It should be specific, personal, and directly linked to the job and company – not a general text sent to many employers.

    The unsolicited application
    Many jobs in Denmark are never advertised. An unsolicited application allows you to show initiative and introduce yourself to a company you are interested in. Research the company, be clear about the value you can bring, and keep your message focused.

    The coffee meeting
    A coffee meeting is an informal way to learn about a company, a role, or an industry. It’s not a job interview, but an opportunity to build relationships, ask questions, and expand your professional network in Denmark.

    The job interview
    Job interviews in Denmark are often informal but well structured. Employers value honesty, reflection, and a good cultural fit. Be prepared to talk about your experience, your motivation, and how you work in a team.

    Hear more about this at our next job search seminar. Read more and register here.

  • You can find a neat overview of the main things to consider when searching for, finding, and taking a job in Denmark here.

    Many jobs are published on online job portals. The most used job portals are:

    National coverage:

    Especially for internationals:

    Regional:


    If you are looking for jobs in a specific industry or profession (e.g., in health care), it can be worth it looking for specialized job portals.

    Our tip: Find out what your profession, industry and/or education is called in Danish and search using the Danish terms.

    Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need help with finding the right databases.

    Furthermore, there are large Facebook groups and sites, where jobs are shared.

  • Some, yet not all, job-seeking international citizens are entitled to support and assistance by their municipality’s jobcenter. If you are in doubt about whether you are entitled to their assistance, we encourage you to reach out to them and ask. When you call/write to them, we recommend that you have your CPR-number and residence permit at hand, so that you are ready to provide them with the information they need.

    You can find addresses and contact info of your local jobcenter on your municipality’s website.

    Registering as unemployed:

    If you become unemployment while living in Denmark, you need to register yourself as such at your municipality’s jobcenter. You can read more and start the registration here.

    4-week internships and subsidised employment:

    For all citizens that are entitled to take up a 4-week internship (virksomhedspraktik) and/or a subsidised employment (løntilskud), it is the jobcenter who administers and approves these types of employment. If you have found an employer that wants to offer you a 4-week internship or a subsidised employment, you need to reach out to the jobcenter in your municipality.

  • Job and career fairs can provide you with the unique opportunity to come into direct contact with recruiters and other employees of your potential future employer. We have listed several fairs held across North Denmark. Missing one? Let us know and we’ll add it to our list.

    In Aalborg:

    • KarriereDagene/CareerDays

    • UCN Matchmaking

    • AAU Collaborate

    • IT Days

    • Den Hvide Verden

    In North Denmark, outside of Aalborg:

    • Job- og Karrieremesse Hjørring

    • Jobevent Thy

    • Jobmesse Frederikshavn

Rights & obligations

  • It is a legal requirement that employers must provide the employee with an employment contract if their employment lasts for at least a month and the average weekly working time exceeds 8 hours per week. If the general terms of employment are regulated by a collective agreement, the employment contract will typically include a reference to the applicable collective agreement.

    You should ALWAYS ask for an employment contract before starting any job.

    A legal employment contract must contain a number of details, like the employees’ rights regarding holiday, both parties’ terms of notice, daily or weekly working hours, and the salary.

    You can find a full list of items required to be included in an employment contract here.

  • Both your and your employer’s terms of notice must be clearly stated in your employment contract. In practice, this means that in your contract it has to say under what conditions and how many days, weeks or months in advance your employer can terminate the employment (fire you) or you can quit.

    An employer must always have a substantial reason for firing an employee; such as unfitness, cooperative problems or a situation in the company which requires dismissal (for instance work shortage, restructuring or cost-savings).

    If an employer is not satisfied with the efforts of their employee, it is normal for the employer to provide one or several warnings.

    You can read more about this topic, including what rules apply if you are employed under the Act on Salaried Employees (funktionærloven) here.

  • A regular full-time job in Denmark contains 37 working hours per week. Working hours are primarily between Monday to Friday in the time frame between 6.00 and 18.00. The lunch break is normally 30 minutes long (paid and part of working hours or non-paid, depending on the workplace).

    Your regular working hours (per day or week) need to be stated in your employment contract.

    Furthermore, clear rules pertaining to whether overtime work is to be compensated for, or paid out as salary, and how overtime is to be settled, need to be stated.

    All workers in Denmark are covered by the EU Working Time Directive, which demands certain conditions regarding e.g., resting periods and max. weekly working hours (48h incl. overtime).

    You can find more information on working hours in Denmark, the EU directive and regulations for minors here.

  • Holiday Act:

    The Holiday Act only applies to employees. You are an employee if you receive a salary for work in an employment relationship. You are not an employee if, for example, you are self-employed, have decisive influence on the company you work for or are unemployed.

    The Holiday Act generally only applies if you work in Denmark. If your employment relationship is related to countries other than Denmark, you may be subject to other rules.

    Under the Holiday Act, you are entitled to 5 weeks (25 working days) of paid holiday per year.

    Collective Agreements:

    Please note that you – as an employee – may be covered by a collective agreement where different rules apply. You can contact your union if you are in doubt about your agreement.

    If you are not an employee (You are e.g., the (co-) owner of your company.), you are not covered by The Holiday Act. However, you might still be covered by a collective agreement that secures your right to holidays.

    You may be entitled to holiday benefits if you receive certain benefits from your unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse) or maternity benefits from Udbetaling Danmark. If you are in doubt, you can contact your a-kasse.

    Confused?

    Make sure to reach out to your employer’s HR department or your closest manager if you have questions about how holidays work at your new workplace.

    You can also read a lot more about holiday and holiday allowance on lifeindenmark and borger (Danish).

  • If an employee is employed as per the Act on Salaried Employees, they are entitled to full pay during sick leave as a general rule.

    Other types of employees might be entitled to full or partial pay during sick leave if this is stated in their employment contracts or the applicable collective agreements.

    Taking care of your sick child:

    In the event of an acute illness, one parent has the right to take time off work if their presence is absolutely necessary. This also applies if your child is injured at school or daycare.

    If you are entitled to pay on your child's first day of illness, it must be stated in your employment contract or local rules at your workplace. You may also be covered by a collective agreement that gives you the right to pay on your child's first day of illness.

    Some collective agreements give you the right to 2 or more days of absence with pay.

    You can read more about this topic here.

  • In Denmark, the mother and father/co-mother of a child hold the right to take parental leave. Whether you receive salary, parental benefits or a combination of both during your parental leave depends on several factors.

    You can find more details in our section dedicated to expecting parents.

Salary & taxes

  • Employees in Denmark are paid by bank transfer, not in cash. Most people are paid monthly, although bi-weekly pay is not uncommon in certain sectors.

    Your salary is transferred to your NemKonto and in Danish Crown (danske kroner).

    As an employee, what lands on your bank account is what is left of your net salary after the deduction of taxes and other fixed payments (e.g., pension, ATP).

    Read more about what the different terms on your Danish payslip mean here.

  • What is considered an appropriate salary given your qualifications, working hours, and the type of work you’re doing can vary greatly between countries.

    If you are a member of a Danish union (fagforening), you can always refer to their salary statistics (lønstatistik) and/or ask them for an assessment of the salary offered to you by an employer.

    If you are not (yet) a member of a union, you can use the “Check my salary”-function on jobindex.dk. Note that numbers provided by this function are indicative only and may differ from actual salary statistics.

    In Denmark, we have equal pay for all genders and laws against discrimination at the workplace. It is therefore illegal to be paid less for the same work purely based on one’s gender. Read more about equality and non-discrimination at the workplace here.

  • For a short overview of the difference between your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) and your tax assessment notice (årsopgørelse), please visit the website of The Danish Tax Agency.

    Your preliminary income assessment states your expected income and tax for the coming year. You can think of it as your tax budget for your expected income and tax. It is the basis for your regular tax payment in the coming throughout the coming year.

    Watch a video about the preliminary income assesment.

    Each November, you get a new preliminary income assessment that shows you how The Danish Tax Agency will calculate your tax for the coming year.

    Each November, you should check the assessment and potentially make adjustments (e.g., deductions) so that you pay the right amount of tax right away.

    If you do so, you will avoid receiving a tax bill or paying more tax than necessary.

    If anything changes in your life, e.g., your salary or marital status or you for example start/stop commuting to work, you should edit your preliminary income assessment in E-Tax/TastSelv.

    You can read more, see and change your preliminary income assessment on the website of The Danish Tax Agency.

  • For a short overview of the difference between your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) and your tax assessment notice (årsopgørelse), please visit the website of The Danish Tax Agency.

    Your tax assessment notice includes information about your salary, paid tax, tax deductions, outstanding tax and tax refunds. It covers the previous year.

    You can read more, view your tax assessment notice and pay your outstanding tax on the website of the Danis Tax Agency.

Unions & unemployment funds

  • Trade unions are a big part of the Danish labour market model and a majority of (employed) people hold a membership to a union that corresponds to their educational and/or professional background.

    Beyond negotiating collective agreements (Denmark does not have a national minimum wage), unions can help their members with:

    • Contract and salary negotiations

    • Career development

    • Skill development and training

    • Building a professional network

    There are many unions that correspond to different sectors and professions. If you are considering joining a union, it is worth finding the one that is most familiar with your profession, as they will be able to best guide you. Membership in a trade union is 100% voluntary.

    Many unions are associated with a specific unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse). However, a worker does not need to be a member of both a trade union and an unemployment insurance fund.

    You can read more about the Danish Labour Market Model and Trade Unions here.

  • The Danish unemployment insurance system is a voluntary insurance scheme. This means that you are not automatically insured against unemployment when working in Denmark. If you want to be covered by unemployment insurance in Denmark, you have to join an “a-kasse”.

    A-kasse is short for arbejdsløshedskasse, which translates to unemployment insurance fund.

    A-kasse members pay a monthly membership fee (amount dependent on your current employment status) and are therein entitled to receive unemployment benefits (“dagpenge”) when losing their job.

    There are several unemployment insurance funds in Denmark. Some of them only admit people within one or more specific professions, while others admit people from all professions.

    You can find a list of all Danish a-kasser here.

    Many a-kasser also offer CV workshops, job search support, and advice tailored to your situation.

  • If you become unemployed, you may be entitled to unemployment benefits (arbejdsløshedsdagpenge). This only applies to those that are members of an unemployment fund (a-kasse).

    For information regarding unemployment benefits after graduation, please go to our page dedicated to international students.

    You must meet several conditions to be entitled to Danish unemployment benefits.

    You must:

    • Have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund for at least 1 year (it is possible to aggregate periods from another EU/EEA country – see 'Aggregation of periods from another EU/EEA country').

    • Be registered as a jobseeker at your local jobcenter from the first day you are available to the labour market. You can register on jobnet.dk.

    • Have received a certain income for the past 3 years; at least DKK 273.504 (2025) DKK 263,232 (2024) if you are full-time insured, and at least DKK 182.340 (2025) DKK 175.488 (2024) if you are part-time insured.

    • Be available for the labour market. This means, among other things, that you must apply for and be able to take over work with the notice of a day.

    • Have a complete, approved and visible CV (on jobnet.dk) no later than 2 weeks after you have registered as unemployed at the jobcenter.

    Non-EU/EEA citizens:

    Please note that nationals of non-EU/EEA countries, that reside and work in Denmark must fulfil certain further requirements in order to be entitled to receive dagpenge.

    As a rule of thumb, only third country nationals holding a residence permit which allows them to remain in Denmark while unemployed can receive dagpenge.

    International students from non-EU/EEA countries can, generally, not receive dagpenge after graduation.

    If you are unsure whether you might be entitled to receive dagpenge as a non-EU/EEA citizen, we recommend that you contact an a-kasse of your choice/the a-kasse associated with your union.

Training & career development

  • The Danish educational system is built around the principle of life-long-learning, opening divers learning paths for both young people and adults. This means that it is possible to e.g., take subjects on middle school or high school level as an adult, change careers in your mid-40s, or keep specialising in your field throughout your career.

    If your wish or need to take courses at Danish middle or high school level, please refer to your local HF/VUC:

    HF & VUC Nord (Aalborg, Hjørring, Brønderslev, Aabybro, Frederikshavn, Aars, Hadsund, Hobro)

    Thy-Mors HF & VUC (Thisted, Nykøbing Mors, Hurup)

    See VUCs in all of Denmark here.

    Some courses and programmes are offered free-of-charge, while other require participants (or their employers) to pay a fee.

    Please note that most courses are taught in Danish.

  • AMU stands for arbejdsmarkedsuddannelse which loosely translates to “labour market education”. AMU courses are therefore targeted at specific professions or types of work. Their purpose is to upskill people both with and without previous vocational training.

    Some AMU courses are targeted at people with Danish as a Second Language and include professional training as well as Danish language classes.

    AMU courses are offered at AMU centers and vocational schools. In North Denmark, these schools offer different AMU courses:

    • AMU Nordjylland

    • EUC Nordvest

    • EUC Nord

    • Tradium

    If you are interested in exploring AMU courses, don’t hesitate to reach out to the respective school(s), talk to your employer and/or your advisor at the jobcenter.

  • In Denmark, vocational degrees (erhvervsuddannelse) are usually acquired through a formal programme that combines theory with practice. Students alternate between going to vocational school/college and taking (long) internships in a company.

    Vocational degrees can be taken both after the completion of middle school (folkeskole) or later in life.

    There are three main pathways to obtaining a vocational degree in Denmark:

    EUD – Erhvervsuddannelse …is the regular vocational education in a specific trade or profession.

    EUX – Erhvervsuddannelse & gymnasial eksamen … combines a regular vocational education in a specific trade or profession with a high school exam (qualifying for admission to higher education)

    EUV – Erhvervsuddannelse for voksne … is the vocational education usually taken by people over the age of 25. Here, your experience can be taken into account, possibly leading to a shorter duration.

    You can find all available vocational programmes, degree types and schools on Uddannelsesguiden.

  • Universities and university colleges offer a big variety of part-time courses at bachelor and master level. These courses are targeted at working professionals, who wish to broaden and/or deepen their knowledge and professional skills.

    It is usually possible take either one or multiple single modules or an entire degree programme. These courses can be found under the terms “efteruddannelse” and “videreuddannelse”

    For UCN, klick here (in Danish)

    For AAU, klick here.

  • The Municipal Language Center (Sprogcenter) in the municipality your employer/workplace in located can advise you/your employer on their offers for tailored Danish language teaching at the workplace – during or after work hours.

    If this is something you’re interested in, we encourage you to approach your company’s HR department and suggest it.

Good to know

  • Sustaining a healthy work-life-balance is highly valued in Danish society and at most workplaces. Many Danes greatly appreciate the free time they have with their family/friends, to execute their hobbies or volunteer.

    You will most likely experience your Danish colleagues leaving the workplace on time and only do overtime when absolutely necessary as it is generally discouraged.

    With a 37-hours average work week and a generous number of holidays, Denmark offers employees comparably favourable conditions for establishing and maintaining a good work-life-balance.

  • Meetings, Discussions & Consent
    If your work contains meetings in any shape or form, you will most likely experience there to be more of these at a Danish workplace. At many Danish workplaces, establishing consensus between the employees and employees and leadership is a vital part of the work-week – often leading to a few more meeting than you might be used to.

    In meetings and generally at work, it is encouraged and often expected that everyone – regardless of their job title, seniority or pay grade – actively contributes to the discussion as well as the solution.

    If you are coming from a culture/workplace where tasks usually are allocated to staff by a manager, the Danish culture around equality and independence at work might surprise you.
    Be advised that a seeming lack of visible leadership or management does not translate to a lack of expectations.

    Manager and other persons in leadership positions generally expect their team members to either solve their tasks independently/together with their immediate colleagues or ask for help and clarification out of their own motivation.

    At many workplaces, an unspoken rule of “if you don’t say anything, everything is fine” is lived.

    Flat Hierarchy
    You will rarely experience Danish workplaces where a strict hierarchy is enforced. While there are – of course – differences in experience, responsibility and pay between different types of employees, these usually aren’t that obvious.

    It is very common for all employees – from intern to top manager – to have lunch together and cooperate on a friendly basis.
    The fact that using last names has been out of fashion for many years definitely aids this.

    Lunch break conversations
    At many workplaces, it is common to talk about one’s hobbies, children or other semi-personal topics at lunch break. How personal conversations get naturally greatly depends on your relationship with your colleagues, your particular workplace’s culture and how much you feel comfortable sharing. Usually, there is no pressure to share any details about your personal life as most Danes tend to wait for others to share out of their own motivation rather than being pushy or investigative.

  • Are you a soon to be or recent international graduate looking for your first “adult job” after university or college? We have compiled some tips and tricks for your job search on our page aimed at international students.

    You are furthermore invited to have a look at the information and services provided by your university’s/college’s career service here.