A new report from the Danish Economic Councils finds that severe stress has reduced Denmark’s labour supply by 99,000 people, with up to 39,000 of that figure linked to work.
DR reported on October 20, 2026 that the councils have published a comprehensive analysis of severe stress and its effects on the Danish labour market. According to DR, the report concludes that tens of thousands of people have left work because of serious stress.
The analysis also finds that severe stress has placed 91,000 people on disability pension, known in Danish as førtidspension. The report makes clear that not every case of severe stress is caused by the workplace.
Mette Ejrnæs, professor of economics at the University of Copenhagen and a member of the council of economic advisers, told DR that the numbers are very high. She said stress has major consequences for the individual, because it can reduce quality of life, and also for the wider economy.
Years of lost employment and billions in public costs
Per Ejrnæs, stress raises state spending on benefits such as disability pension while reducing the tax paid by those affected. She said this costs the Danish treasury billions of kroner.
The report also tracks people over time. Ejrnæs noted that 12 years after a stress reaction, one in ten people are still not back in employment.
Employers and unions read the figures differently
The Danish Employers’ Association, Dansk Arbejdsgiverforening, told DR it is aware of the numbers. Managing director Jacob Holbraad called it a serious problem, but said work is not always the cause of stress.
As stated by Holbraad, stress among many people in the labour market stems from private circumstances, including bereavement, illness in the family and divorce. He also acknowledged that employers can help solve the challenge, and said a good dialogue is needed to bring an affected employee back to work.
Michael Rosholm, chair of the Economic Council of the Labour Movement, told DR that the figures prove it pays to improve the working environment. According to Rosholm, when more people can work more, the state gets more revenue that politicians can spend on areas such as welfare, so spending on the working environment should not be seen as pure cost.
Roundtable talks begin this week
According to Ritzau, as cited by DR, the social partners and other central actors have been summoned to a series of roundtable talks. The talks start Friday at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Interior, hosted by minister Pia Olsen Dyhr of SF.
DR reported that the specific content of the talks is not known. The invitations follow the publication of the Danish Economic Councils’ report on work-related stress.
What the stress report means for internationals in the Danish labour market
The report deals with the Danish concept of arbejdsudbud, or labour supply, meaning the number of people available to work. A reduction of 99,000 people, as the Danish Economic Councils describe it, means that many positions across the economy have to be filled by someone else, which is the background for the debate about labour shortages and hiring in Denmark.
For foreign residents, the practical takeaway from the report is limited to what it documents. It states that severe stress has moved 91,000 people onto førtidspension, a long-term public benefit for people with permanently reduced working capacity, and that one in ten people hit by a stress reaction are not employed 12 years later.
What is not yet known is whether any rules will change. DR reported that the content of the minister’s roundtable talks has not been made public, and no new workplace or benefit rules have been announced as a result of the report.
