One of the results of the fixed link across the Øresund Sound is of course that it is much easier to commute between Copenhagen and Scania. Consequently, Danish and Swedish companies have access to a much bigger labour market and stand a good chance of recruiting personnel with the proper competences. However, problems can arise and therefore it is necessary for companies on each side of the Sound to have a certain knowledge of the other country’s labour market and education system. It can be difficult to reach the relevant group of people and also to judge whether the competences can be compared.
Accessing the labour market
To cope with the problems of recruitment across the border, the Danish and the Swedish employment agencies have joined forces in order to establish databases of persons and companies available in both countries. This cooperation has resulted in an administration called the “Øresund Unemployment Agency”. In both countries the law stipulates that, in order to get unemployment benefits, an unemployed person must report to the employment agency. It is those requirements that give the companies direct access to a large group of potential employees in both Denmark and Sweden.
Another way of recruiting in the Region is through recruitment agencies that operate on both sides of the Sound. Many international recruitment agencies are located in both Denmark and Sweden and have good local knowledge of the labour market. Examples of these are: Manpower, Adecco, and Stepstone. Furthermore, several agencies have formalised agreements with agencies located on the opposite side.
Finally, due to the high use of the internet in the Region, it is very popular to search for a job on the internet. Many recruitment companies have established so-called “job banks”. Moreover, CV-banks are very common.
For information about recruitment agencies in Copenhagen, see a list of recruitment agents here.
Academic assessment
Since the Region comprises two countries the education systems are not the same. Due to lack of knowledge of the other country’s education system and achieved competences of the graduates this can be a barrier for integration of the regional labour market. Even though the universities in the Region have created a common “Øresund University” it can be difficult for the companies to evaluate competences. Qualifications and examination marks as well as titles and public authorisations are not directly comparable.
When recruiting personnel on the other side of the sound it is recommendable to contact the local labour and employer organisations. The Øresund Unemployment Agency and the educational institutions themselves will also be able to assist.
Since the Region comprises two nation states it also comprises two educational systems. This is a barrier for the integration of the two labour markets because of the lacking knowledge of the other country’s educations and the competences of the graduates. Even though all the universities in the Region has created Øresund University the companies have difficulties to compare competences. Qualifications and examination marks are not directly comparable as well as titles and public authorisations.
For companies recruiting personnel on the other side it is therefore important to specify what kind of profile they need. In order to minimize the risk of employing a person with the wrong competences, labour and employer organisations should be contacted.
