Denmark, officially called Kingdom of Denmark, is ranked the “happiest country in the world” due to its quality of life, welfare model, small social inequalities and its culture.
It is a wealthy country, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita which rates amongst the highest in the world and an unemployment rate of 5.8 %.
Denmark is a sparsely populated place with only 5,755,627 people across its 400 islands. With 25% of the country’s population, its capital Copenhagen, is one of the favourite cities for many SAP consultants who enjoy working in the Nordic countries.
Working culture
Danish companies care a lot about equality, democracy and work-life balance. You are expected to work independently and to show initiative; employers in reciprocity tend to be flexible with their employees. Many Danish companies for example, allow SAP consultants to work remotely from their home country one or two days a week, enabling them to have a more balanced work-family lifestyle. Remote work is also an option in some businesses, although the hourly rates tend to be slightly lower than working on site.
The working culture is informal; there is usually no dress code and in many companies they like having breakfast together on a Friday and organising social events. You refer to your colleagues by their first name and the terms “Sir” and “Mrs” are only used in formal written correspondence.
The working hours tend to be shorter, with most businesses closing around four o’clock in the afternoon.
SAP contracts
Denmark is the country with the highest demand of SAP jobs in the Scandinavian region. The positions available are usually for the oil, agriculture, and manufacturing and energy industries, with contracts from 3 months up to 2 years, being the most common terms 6 to 12 months.
Danish companies are known for retaining good employees and therefore often request to extend SAP contracts if there are other projects available that the consultant could be interested in.
As previously mentioned, Danish companies are flexible and therefore often have options for SAP consultants to work from home; they also often pay for expenses including flights and accommodation.
Work permit and Visa
EU/EEA, Swiss nationals or citizens from the Nordic countries are able to live and work in Denmark without any visa or work permit requirements, however if you are staying longer than 3 months you must register your residence to stay legally.
Denmark is not covered by the EU Blue Card network, therefore, employees from any other countries usually need to apply for a residence and work permit. The work permit is limited to the employment applied for, therefore you will not be allowed to work in any other positions on this permit.
Visas are issued for short stays only and you are not permitted to work during your stay with a visa.
The application for work permits can be done by yourself or by your employer if you give them power of attorney to do so.
For more information about how to apply for a work permit you can visit the New to Denmark website.
Taxes and getting paid
Managing banking and taxes is easy in Denmark. You are required to register on the Central Tax Administration (SKAT) to get a tax card which you will then send to your employer. The tax will be deducted directly from your salary before you get paid.
The tax system is complex as it includes municipal and national taxes such as labour market contribution, healthcare and municipal tax. In some cases there is also a church tax.
The total taxation varies between 37% (low income bracket) and 53% (high income bracket).
If you are a cross-border commuter from Germany or Sweden, you might have a different tax rate and you could have benefits in Denmark such as medical care, child and unemployment benefits.
In Denmark you must pay tax on your worldwide income; therefore ensure you are not paying tax twice.
Opening a local bank account can be beneficial to avoid difference on exchange rates as you would usually get paid in the local currency.
Currency
The local currency is the Danish Krone or Crown, and it abbreviates as “DKK” or “kr.” Be aware that also the Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic currencies (also called crowns) abbreviate as “kr.”. You might want to take this into consideration when dealing with companies who work across multiple Scandinavian countries.
Living costs
The cost of living across the country is about 25% higher than in the United Kingdom, and the cost of renting a house is usually 10% higher. Copenhagen is the most expensive city in the country, with costs similar to other European capitals such as London or Paris, and usually 50% higher than other Danish cities.
Find a guide to the cost of living in Denmark here.
Healthcare
Healthcare in Denmark is free for anyone registered in the country and who has requested a Health Insurance Card (yellow card). The service covers medical appointments and most treatments; you will still need to pay for Medicines, Dentist, Chiropractic and Psychologist treatments.
Transport
With its 400 km of cycle tracks, Copenhagen has been voted “the best city for cyclists”. It is a bike friendly city for everyone whether they are kids, business man or elderly people.
If biking is not an option for you, you will be happy to know that the transport network is very good as it covers the central area of the city and the suburbs. The network includes an underground, s-trains and buses.
If you are thinking on commuting from Sweden through the Malmo-Copenhagen bridge, the toll costs 400 DKK each way, or the bus or train at a cost of around 10 euros. These are available every 20 minutes.
Language
The official language is Danish. Being a language similar to Swedish and Norwegian, it is common to see people from different Scandinavian countries communicating with each other.
English is compulsory at school, therefore you will find you can communicate with most Danish people in this language, particularly in the biggest cities.
Although around 80% of the jobs for SAP Consultants are in English, speaking additional languages could be beneficial when looking for a job and the locals also appreciate if you make an effort to try to speak their language. If you are interested in learning Danish, there are free courses available in most Danish towns.
Local culture
The culture in Denmark is known as “hygge”, meaning snugly or cosy, especially when relaxing with friends and family while enjoying food.
Being a very flat country where the highest point is 170m above sea level, this Nordic country is a great place for outdoor activities like biking, walking or strawberry picking – the kids’ favourite activity in the summer. As it is surrounded by the sea, there are also lots of water-based activities such as fishing and kayaking.
The national sport is football, but golf and tennis are also well liked.
Food
Brunch is very popular and it is mostly accompanied by beer or shots of ice-cold snaps. The brunch consists in open sandwiches with seafood and remoulade, roast meets, hams and pâté, all well garnished with either fresh vegetables or onion rings.
Typically you will have a hot meal in the evening; traditional meals are roast pork, fish, meatballs and red cabbage.
