This week, the Danish business and industry website danskindustri.dk published an article about the contribution of foreigners in Denmark to creating more than 200 billion kroner worth of goods during 2021, which is considered a record number as this value has doubled since 2010. The article was accompanied by a picture of a woman who appears to be of Middle Eastern origin and is wearing an Islamic headscarf.
For every ten employees counted, one of them is not of Danish ethnicity, with exactly 11 of the total employees being of non-Danish origin. This clearly has a positive impact on the economy, as the number of foreign full-time employees has risen from 126,000 to 251,000 since 2010, according to a new analysis from Danish Industry (DI).
Deputy Director Steen Nielsen, Head of Labor Market Policy at DI, commented: “The importance of foreigners in employment growth over the past ten years cannot be underestimated. The number of foreigners in the Danish labor market has doubled, and there is every reason to be happy about that… This is 10% of value creation, which we absolutely cannot do without.” The growth in the number of foreign employees also means that they now contribute more than 200 billion kroner to Denmark.
We welcome foreigners
DI's analysis shows that 2021 was a good year for economic growth, with a 4.5% increase in total value added, to which foreigners also contributed.
Steen Nielsen added, “It simply confirms that our international colleagues are of great importance to the Danish labor market and the Danish economy, and therefore there is a good reason to welcome foreigners who wish to work in Denmark, whether they have come or will come in the future.”.
