Danish companies offer attractive job and career opportunities for expatriates. Many large companies demand skilled talents and well educated workers in scarce supply. So Danish companies increasingly recruit for such job positions internationally. The article describes the key industries in Denmark and the most important companies in these industries. Skills sets and job types in high demand are also described. Danish companies stands out with special capabilities in areas such as sustainability, innovation, digitalization and work culture. To achieve these capabilities certain skills and professions among employees are needed. And for you as a worker coming from another country, Danish companies can indeed be relevant as a potential employer.
Large danish companies are at the global market
The Danish economy is a small open economy, where exports (and imports) are important. Large companies are often at the global market either by direct exports or with production sites and offices around the world. Operating costs and especially labor costs are relatively high in Denmark. So instead of competing purely on prices of products, Danish companies offer high quality products. And establish niches and brands in their markets. Innovation in new products and use of new technologies are key for companies to achieve such market positions. And also a high level of R&D activity.
The more labor intensive production processes are often outsourced or placed in countries with low wage levels. And the departments and functions – which demand high skill levels and provide high salaries for employees – are maintained in Denmark at the headquarters. Such as R&D activity and job functions within finance, HR, marketing, corporate management etc.
But small and medium sized companies are also very important
SME’s (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) constitute half of total company earnings in Denmark. They are defined as companyes with less than 250 employees. Around 1 million workers are employed in SMEs, which is around half of all employed in the private sector. So SMEs are very important in Denmark.
Especially in the service industry, but they are present in many industries. Most fast growing companies are small or medium sized. They are often not globally oriented, but some medium sized companies export to the European region. They do not rely on innovation and R&D activities. A key feature is their agility and ability to adapt to changing external circumstances. Some of these companies also invest in digitalization and sustainability efforts. In recent years, SME’s increasingly demands highly skilled and well educated workers. For foreign workers, SMEs can offer interesting job opportunities and are relevant as potential employers.
Key industries and companies
Key industries in Denmark include renewable energy and energy efficiency, life sciences and information technology. There are other important industries but in these 3 industries, Danish companies have a strong position with many large companies. And Denmark is well known internationally for its leading position in these areas. The companies described shortly below are the most important ones. It should give you a sense about Danish companies, what they are doing and in what way they could be a relevant potential employer. Moreover you can easily find and read the official websites in English for these companies by adding “.com” to the company titles listed here and do a Google search.
The life science industry
The industry consists of the subindustries pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. This industry is the most important one in Denmark with many large companies. There is a strong tradition for collaboration between the life science industry, universities and the public health sector, which makes Denmark a hotspot for pioneering R&D. So companies in this industry are attractive for researchers and highly skilled professionals from other countries. The Copenhagen area is a hub for this industry and nearly all companies have their head office there. All companies in this industry described below are joint stock companies and part of the leading C25 stock index. But many (also large) companies in Denmark are owned by families or funds. This is the case for some of the companies in the other industries described below.
Large companies in the life science industry
Novo Nordisk is a pharmaceutical company specialized in developing and producing insulin products against diabetes and weight loss products. It is by far the largest Danish company when measured by market value of company stocks. Its value is around 3500 bn DKK as of 2024. To put this in perspective the second largest company DSV (a transport and logistics company) has a market value at around 290 bn DKK. It is also one of the largest private employers in Denmark. R&D activity is highly prioritized and important for innovation and developing new products. It has production sites and offices worldwide. The company is consistently ranked as one of the best workplaces and particularly for highly skilled professionals. It has around 64.000 employees in 80 different countries.
Novensis is a leading global biosolutions company formed through a recent merger of the two companies Chr. Hansen and Novozymes. It produces enzymes and bacterial cultures used in food production. Novensis employs around 10.000 indviduals worldwide. It is the 3th most valuable company in the leading stock index C25.
Coloplast produces health care products and services in the areas of stomi, continence, urologi and wound treatment. It is the 4th most valuable company in the C25 index and employs around 15.000 employees across the world.
Ambu produces and devops medical equipment. the primary product is single-use flexible endoscopes
Lundbeck is a medical company specialized in producing and developing drugs aimed at brain diseases. Relying heavily on R&D activity for product innovation.
Zealand Pharma is a biotechnology company dedicated to developing innovative peptide-based medicines for people living with unmet medical needs. It is a research and development company without production facilities. So most jobs are in the category of R&D and innovation.
The renewable energy and energy efficiency industries
The renewable energy industry
The companies in the renewable energy industry produce wind power turbines and develop offshore wind parks. There are also companies within business areas such as solar energy and hydrogen production. Some acting as subcontractors to larger companies. Vestas and Ørsted are the most important companies and largest employers. This industry provides numerous opportunities for professionals interested in sustainable solutions.
Ørsted. The main business area is to develop and run offshore and land based wind parks around the world. Earlier on it was focused on producing energy from heat and power stations in Denmark and supplying electricity to end users in Denmark. The state has a majority share in the company. It is the 5th largest company in the C25 index.
Vestas Wind Systems is the global market leader in producing wind turbines. It designs, manufactures, and installs onshore and offshore wind turbines. The service segment of the company performs operating and maintaining service work on installed wind turbines. It has around 32.000 employees worldwide and around 6000 employed in Denmark. The head office is in Jutland. It ranks as the 3th most sustainable company in the world in a leading study (referred to below).
The energy effeciency industry
The companies within the energy efficiency industry develop and manufacture products aimed at using energy more efficiently.
Danfoss develops and produces products within areas such as cooling food, air conditioning, heating buildings, variable-frequency drives, gas compressors and powering mobile machinery. The products help customers to decarbonize through energy efficiency, machine productivity and electrification.
The company has around 41.000 employees and 100 factories around the world and is a global leader in its markets. It is Denmark’s largest manufacturing company with an annual revenue of 80 billion DKK for 2023. And it relies heavily on engineering activity and is a very relevant workplace for engineers.
Grundfos is a global leader in energy efficient water solutions for use in homes, buildings, industries, utilities and agriculture. The company develops and produces products in this area. Together with Danfoss and The Lego Group, Grundfos are the only family or fund owned companies described in this article. Engineering is an important activity for the company.
Rockwool manufacturers mineral wool products for insulation purposes in buildings. The company are market leader with well known product brands. It has over 30 manufacturing sites around the world.
Information technology industry
Companies in this industry excel in software development and digital solutions. Denmark is highly digitalized in the public as well as the private sector. So such companies have great market opportunities at home but also abroad. The industry attracts talents internationally but also faces problems with lack of qualified workers for open job positions. So recruitment is increasingly done internationally. The IT jobs are not only situated in IT companies but also in the internal IT departments at larger companies across industries. Moreover Danish banks are highly digitalized. And so the IT part of their business are sometimes more important than the core business of banking. The global tech giants (such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Apple, Meta etc.) also have offices and activities in Denmark with IT jobs. These tech giants have also placed many data centers in Denmark with accompanying job opportunities. Large Danish IT companies include Netcompany, Simcorp and KMD.
Netcompany delivers business-critical IT solutions to large public and private sector customers. Most of sales revenues comes from Denmark but the company also sells in other european countries. By nature this company is attracting a lot of skilled IT specialists also from other countries. It has around 7700 employees of which 2300 are employed in Denmark.
Large danish companies in other industries
Lego Group manufactures LEGO branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. Together with Vestas, Danfoss and Grundfoss, it is the only ones mentioned here with headquarters outside the Copenhagen area and in Jutland. It is one of the most profitable companies in Denmark. And by sales revenu, it is the world’s largest toy company – well known for its brand. It has more than 28000 employees worldwide and around 6000 in Denmark. Together with Novo Nordisk it is ranked as one of the best workplaces in Denmark – especially for highly educated and business professionals.
AP Møller Mærsk conducts trade, shipping, logistics and terminal assets globally. The main business area is container freight where the company is market leader globally. With 108.000 employees worldwide it is the second largest danish private employer only outnumbered by the service company ISS. Measured by revenues it is the largest danish company. It has a presence in 130 countries.
ISS offers facility management services within security, cleaning, technical, food and workplace. It has activity in 50 countries around the world. ISS is the largest private employer based in Denmark with a total of 350.000 employees worldwide. 6000 of these are in Denmark. Its annual revenue is around 80 bn DKK. But measured by market value of its stocks it is one of smallest companies in the C25 index. The jobs offered around the world typically require low skill levels and also offer low salaries. At the head office in Copenhagen though, there are jobs with high salaries within management, finance, operations, HR etc.
Danish companies have certain core capabilities. Providing attractive job opportunities for expatriates
Innovation and use of new technologies
Large companies rely heavily on innovation to compete internationally. Not only for developing new products but also for improving internal production processes by using new technologies. R&D activity is important for achieving successful innovation. This requires researchers and highly skilled professionals which increasingly are recruited internationally.
Sustainability
Danish companies invest in this area and are international frontrunners. And so Novensis, Ørsted, Rockwool, Coloplast og Vestas are among the 100 most sustainable companies according to the leading study of this topic. Most sustainable companies in the world. Such efforts can be driven by regulatory requirements. But often they are self initiated to create a business opportunity with potential to drive profits. The companys brand and its ability to attract talented workers – who sympathizes with this agenda – can be affected positively.
Digitalisation
Private companies and the public sector are in front when it comes to digitization and digital transformation. This requires talented IT specialists which are often recruited from abroad. Especially the public sector is in the front when compared internationally. In a study from OECD Denmark ranks as number two from the top in the Digital Government Index for 2023. Digitalization index for public sector – OECD study. The index measures the progress in digital transformation in the public sector across the 38 countries in OECD. Another well known study investigates digital competitiveness in both the public and private sector in 67 countries. In this index, Denmark is ranked with the 4th highest digital competitiveness as of 2024. Ranking of digital competitiveness by country
Corporate Social Responsibility
This is about paying attention to all of its interest groups (employees, owners, customers and society) and not only owners (with an interest in profits). An example of this is when companies choose to employ individuals with disabilities at good work and salary conditions. Or reducing the negative impacts from production – such as pollution – for the local society beyond what is required by government regulation. Danish companies are well known for their high standards in this field. This can impact the company’s reputation among customers positively and make recruitment for job positions more successful – especially among workers who sympathize with this agenda.
Work culture
Danish companies offer an attractive work-life balance and work culture for employees. You can read more about this here: Work-Life Balance in Denmark The work culture is informal with low hierarchies. Trust between management and employees is high. So employees enjoy a high degree of empowerment and self management. Moreover remote work with flexible hours is possible in many companyes. In practice this has led to high levels of performance and productivity among employees.
Workplaces in Danish companies are among the best in Europe
According to a leading study from Great Place to Work, 18 of the 100 best workplaces in Europe are located in Denmark. Denmark is only surpassed by England and Germany, but measured per capita Denmark leads the top 100. The result is based on statements from 700,000 employees among 2,250 companies in 19 European countries. The employees in the survery answered questions about job satisfaction in their workplace.
Best workplaces in Europe- Study from Great Place to Work
An attractive work-life balance and work culture are main reasons for Danish workplaces being among the best. Many Danish companies also offer attractive career paths and possibilities for worldwide engagement. Working around the world in a period of their career. Besides attractive salary packets, companies often offer additional benefits such as extensive maternity leave, health care, and wellness programs. And the headquarter functions with attractive high salary jobs are mostly maintained in Denmark.
In this link to a survey carried out by LinkedIN you can see a ranking of the 25 best workplaces in Denmark: Ranking of best work places in Denmark – LinkedIN survey.
Professions and skills in high demand
The most important ones are listed below. You can read more about skills types in high demand and salaries in Denmark in this article: Salary
- IT specialist and software developers. Engineers specialized in IT.
- Professionals specialized in the pharmaceuticals, healthcare and energy industries.
- Engineers
- Financial experts and advisers. Professionals in corporate finance.
- Employees with management experience. At top level (CEO) or within areas of finance, supply chain management, IT etc. Also management consultants.
- Researchers and scientists within natural science.
- Professions aimed at the public sector. Such as nurses, social assistants and teachers.
Conclusion
Danish companies offer attractive job and career opportunities also for workers coming from other countries. With scarce supply in Denmark for many types of skills and professions, Danish companies increasingly recruit for such job positions internationally.
Key industries in Denmark are renewable energy and energy efficiency, life science and information technology. In these areas Danish companies hold a strong position in an international context. The most important large companies in Denmark are described shortly in this article. Danish companies have core capabilities in areas such as sustainability, innovation, digitalization and work culture. To achieve and maintain these capabilities, certain skills among its employees are needed. Providing interesting job opportunities for expatriates. These types of skills and professions are described in the article.
Danish companies have some of the best workplaces in Europe according to a leading study. With a good work-life balance for workers and a attractive work culture, danish companies are really great places to work.
