Denmark's labour market remains tight with severe shortages in skilled trades and healthcare

Employers in Denmark still struggle to fill open positions across several key industries. The latest autumn recruitment survey shows no overall improvement over the past six months. The report comes from the Danish Agency for Labour Markets and Recruitment. Nationwide, 11.3 percent of recruitment attempts were unsuccessful. This figure matches the average over the past three years.

The iron, metals, and automotive sectors face the greatest hiring difficulties. In these industries, 23 percent of job recruitment attempts failed. The construction sector followed with an 18 percent failure rate. For specific roles, daycare teachers, electricians, and cooks saw high shortages. Nurses and social and healthcare assistants are also in very high demand.

Shortages for daycare teachers and healthcare staff grew over the past year. This shortfall was driven by hiring challenges in the Capital Region and Central Denmark. However, recruitment remains easiest overall in the Capital Region at 10 percent failed attempts. Southern Denmark followed closely with 10.5 percent unsuccessful attempts. Zealand remains the hardest region for employers trying to recruit new staff.