Today’s big topic: Foreign labour has filled half of all new jobs over the last 12–13 years
What’s happening?
Every seventh wage earner in Denmark is of foreign origin. That is a sharp increase over a few decades. In the early 1990s, just 3 percent of wage earners were of foreign origin, and they typically worked in low-paid jobs in hotels, restaurants, or industry.
In 2024, 14 percent of the country’s wage earners are of foreign origin, and they are increasingly highly educated with well-paid jobs. Still, foreign workers remain overrepresented in low-wage positions. That is the finding of a mapping of foreign labor that Danmarks Nationalbank (the central bank of Denmark, ed.) published Thursday.
»It’s interesting to analyze foreign workers because they have been a key driver of employment in Denmark over the past five to 10 years«, says economist Amy Yuan Zhuang, who wrote the analysis with three colleagues at Nationalbanken.
Why it matters!
In concrete numbers, Denmark currently has just under 400,000 wage earners of foreign origin, and about half of them have been here for less than 10 years. Over the past roughly ten years, half a million new jobs have been created in Denmark: »Over the past 12 to 13 years, foreigners have filled half of the new jobs«, Amy Yuan Zhuang says.
At the union 3F, there is a warning against »getting too carried away« by the inflow of foreigners, even if it has become a more varied group: »Most foreigners still work in the typical 3F jobs in hotels and restaurants, construction, industry, and agriculture, and there we still see major problems with low pay and poor conditions«, said labor-market economist Jesper Grunnet-Lauridsen of 3F.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– The government negotiations are record‑long
Coalition talks have now lasted 45 days, a record in the country’s modern history. Yesterday, Lars Løkke Rasmussen spent the day at a coffee meeting with Venstre and Konservative. Meanwhile, Mette Frederiksen continued the negotiations at Marienborg.
Read the full article here.
– A Dane who was aboard the cruise ship ’MV Hondius’ is in isolation
A Dane is self-isolating because he traveled on the ’MV Hondius’, the Dutch-registered cruise ship that has been hit by an outbreak of hantavirus. He disembarked on April 24 on the island of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic between Africa and South America. He is now back home in Denmark and is showing no symptoms.
– The weekend starts sunny
The bright, dry sunshine will carry into the weekend, until the weather shifts on Sunday to cloudier skies and a few scattered showers. That’s what Klaus Larsen, the duty meteorologist at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), told Ritzau on Friday morning: »Especially in the eastern part of the country, there are probably some people wishing for a bit of rain for their thirsty gardens, but it won’t be today that they get any«, says Klaus Larsen.
This weekends itinerary
Where to eat?
You’re craving ramen, onigiri and udon. Where are they best served in Copenhagen?
Politiken has asked five Copenhageners with Japanese roots where to find the best japanese food. They point you to their favorites. One of them, 35-year old Akiyo Inoue, recommends a ramen shop on Amager.
»I’d recommend Kūkai Ramen, which is a new ramen shop on Amagerbrogade. Order their tonkotsu — one of the most popular ramen soups in Japan, originally from the city of Fukuoka. Tonkotsu means pork bones, which is what the broth is made from. After it’s simmered for a couple of hours, it turns creamy white. Very few places in Copenhagen offer that kind of ramen«.
Read the full article here.
Where to drink?
Kafferisteriet og caféen Gitz på Østerbro.
If you find yourself craving coffee this weekend, we know exactly where to go. The new café in Østerbro, Gitz, serves quality coffee that will have you wanting to come back. And there are great seats outside if the sun comes out this weekend: »Gitz is a bright corner café with big windows and a pretty crisp look. You can sit and watch the street, and I think it’s going to be a really good summer corner«.
Read the full review here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.