Keeping the lights on

As Denmark’s towns and regional labour markets come to rely on international workers,

Kelly Draper Rasmussen examines the people keeping them viable.

Images: Josch13 - Pixabay / Kelly Draper Rasmussen

Text: Kelly Draper Rasmussen

The dominant narrative about Danish immigration is that internationals are concentrated in the major cities. For instance, Copenhagen’s population is approximately one in four internationals, which attracts considerable attention. The fact that many communities outside major cities also have a high proportion of international residents and workers is often overlooked.

We will examine three communities in Denmark, how they have changed since the pandemic, and how internationals are contributing. Three models are emerging: manufacturing hubs reliant on Eastern European labour, border economies powered by cross-border commuters, and industrial towns where international workers have become the backbone of production.

Visualisation by Kelly Rasmussen (Data from jobindsats.dk)

Herning

Since the onset of the pandemic, the working-age population has remained essentially stable. This is remarkable because more than 1,000 working-age people have left or retired during that period. Currently, 12% of the working-age population comprises international workers. The top international nationalities among working nationals are Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian, Syrian, and German. There are nearly 6,000 of these international workers in industries such as education, health, agriculture, retail, construction, and cleaning. Without these workers, factories and building sites would shut down, and public services would be massively understaffed.

Sønderborg

Further south, near the German border, we find that, despite more than 2,000 working-age people moving or retiring, the population of Sønderborg is increasing. This is because 17% of working-age residents in Sønderborg have international backgrounds. Over five thousand resident workers are foreign nationals, but digging a little deeper, we find something fascinating: over a thousand workers in Sønderborg commute from across the border. These are mostly German passport holders. In fact, there are more German commuters than Polish residents. They do not appear in population statistics, but without them, Sønderborg would find it challenging to remain operational.

The industries that international firms are sustaining are public services, tourism, retail, cleaning, and construction. People are coming from all over the world to work in Sønderborg, but as in Herning, we find that the lion’s share are from Poland, Romania, Syria and Ukraine.

The daycare workers’ union BUPL recently recognised Sønderborg for bucking a national trend by increasing the ratio of trained daycare workers in nurseries and kindergartens. That would never have been affordable without the substantial replacement of Danish workers (not to mention that many of the workers themselves have international backgrounds).

“The lights stay on not by chance, but because thousands of international workers show up every day.”

Vejen

In contrast with the other two cities, Vejen’s population has decreased since the pandemic. (Nearly 700 working-age Danes have either moved or retired). Fortunately for that community, nearly 650 international workers have moved there. 15% of working-age residents are international. They also have just over 600 cross-border commuters.

They come from Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Syria. The manufacturing industry dominates: more than a quarter of international workers are employed in Vejens’ factories. Just under one in six work in Agriculture.

Without these international workers, factories would have to close, and the working-age population would decline by 10%.

The reason that no one is discussing this significant shift in Danish demographics is puzzling. In order to be able to plan for success, these communities need to be recognised for how they have developed since the pandemic. Perhaps there is reticence to acknowledge ‘replacement’, as this might worry Danish people that their country is being taken over, or perhaps there is distaste for recognising the contributions of outsiders. After all, it is an election cycle year, so cynical populism has become politically dominant again.

Whatever prevents policymakers and public commentators from discussing the development does not alter the fact that it has occurred. International workers are keeping the lights on in many Danish communities. If we want them to keep doing that, we need to stop acting like they are invisible, interchangeable spare parts ‘arbejdskraft’ and finally recognise that they are whole human beings with families, aspirations and a stake in the communities they are sustaining.