Denmark: perception vs. reality

A little while ago I was speaking to an American friend who wanted to visit us in our new host country following our move to Denmark last year. I said the usual refrain: “come in summertime, with Copenhagen at its most hospitable”, but was surprised to hear his response of “I think I prefer to come in the middle of winter – I’m thinking Northern Lights and all that”.

His comment got me thinking about how far reality is from most people’s perceptions of Denmark around the world. I should be more accurate and say that in fact most people around the world don’t have a perception of Denmark at all – to my friend’s credit at least he knew Denmark was a country, somewhere in the Nordics. After living 9 months here I still get the occasional friend abroad asking me how my Swedish is progressing, and whether I’m getting along with the Norwegians. Yes, it might be a surprise to many Danes, but most people around the world tend to refer to Scandinavian countries interchangeably, and Denmark often seems to be more easily forgettable in relation to its higher-profile neighbours. And there are still those who think that people in Denmark speak Dutch (as I wrote in my very first blog post about our friends’ reactions in London when we told them we had decided to move to Denmark), or that Denmark is the capital of Sweden or Holland.

Those however who do know that Denmark is a country (and even those who know that the residents of Denmark are Danes, and that they speak Danish) still seem to have fantastical ideas about it: from those thinking it’s an arctic Nordic country home to igloo dwellers and ice hotels, to others imagining a place where everything and everyone is stunningly beautiful, stylized and super-modern. Then there are those who think it’s a haven of nudity and promiscuity, or efficiency and austerity. Or all of the above. Perhaps the funniest contradicting perception of Denmark is that of a place where everyone is happy, yet many are depressed and commit suicide.

Of course some of these perceptions have a kernel of truth to them, but basically they’re all pretty far from reality in my opinion. So why is it that Denmark has such a low profile in the world compared to other Northern European countries like the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden? And why are perceptions of it seem to be so removed from reality?

To answer to the first question, it might be the fact that Denmark is smaller in population compared to countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, that it doesn’t have striking fjords (or oil) like Norway, that it never managed to attract as many tourists from countries outside the region as its neighbours did, and that it never had global consumer mega-brands associated with the country like the Swedish brands IKEA, Volvo and even ABBA (there are of course Lego and Carlsberg, but no-one seems to associate them with Denmark). Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that for many years there wasn’t an internationally known mainstream Danish figure in contemporary culture or sport (something that’s changing now with phenomena like Noma and Wozniacki).

As for the second question – perceptions of nations are often extreme and one-dimensional, but they might be even more removed from reality (and influenced by anecdotes) when the country in question is little known and seldom visited.

While undoubtedly a low profile can hurt a country’s economy by limiting export, investments and tourism – there’s something to be said for a country that is relatively obscure abroad. I find it quite entertaining when people I speak to don’t exactly know what Denmark is and where it’s located – almost like a quaint little place I can keep all to myself.

Then again I have to admit I too experienced a gap between my own perceptions and reality of Denmark when I moved here and realized that Copenhagen is much less international and cosmopolitan than I had previously imagined, despite having visited the country more than a dozen times in the past. Perhaps the flip side of being unknown to the world is that the world is a bit unknown to you. It might be a good idea to work on raising that profile after all…

The plight of the returning Dane

Foreigners living in a new country seem to attract one another – every time I’ve lived in a foreign country I seemed to befriend other foreigners first, before meeting and befriending some of the locals. Be it through communities and associations for foreign professionals, co-workers in international companies with foreign employees, friends of friends from one’s home country or simply a chance encounter that promises the joy of commiseration.

Denmark was no different for me – following my arrival in Denmark I quickly met other expats and foreigners through my Danish language school, my job searching activities and my networking efforts across various expat associations. But this time around I found another group yearning for an opportunity to share frustrations and exchange criticism of the host country: Danes who have lived abroad for a few years and returned to Denmark.

Otherwise known as ‘repatriates’ (as opposed to ‘expatriates’), people who live outside their home country for many years and then return to it often experience a sort of a ‘reverse culture shock’. And according to conventional wisdom they tend to find this reverse culture shock more surprising and difficult to deal with than the original culture shock when moving abroad. I can personally attest to that, having a severe case of reverse culture shock at home – my partner.

So what do Danish repatriates talk about when sharing their frustrations over Denmark? One Dane I met, who spent a few years in the US, said “the first thing I noticed after I came back was how poor customer service is in Denmark, and how unfriendly people are here”. Another friend who spent a few years in London and Barcelona, confessed as follows: “soon after moving I realized that Denmark isn’t as open – and Danes aren’t as open-minded – as I once thought. When I moved back here this realization hit me even harder”.

Several returning Danes I’ve met said something like “I have always been taught to believe that everything in Denmark is superior to the rest of the world. Now I know that’s completely untrue”; others complained that the Danish health care system is far inferior to those of other countries they’ve lived in; many laughed about the myth of ‘superb infrastructure’ which in their minds proved to be just that – a myth; one friend slammed the entire Danish education system when she said: “this mentality of mediocrity and discouragement of drive, ambition and competition has so many negative aspects, but nobody ever talks about it!”; and others claimed that the social welfare system no longer provides value for tax money, and robs them of the personal freedom and choice they’ve grown accustomed to abroad.

I guess it’s natural for people who left their home country, discovered the world and then moved back, to think that their homeland is provincial, narrow-minded and mono-cultural. But the Danish phenomenon of reverse culture shock seems stronger and more widespread than anything I’ve encountered as a foreigner living in the US and the UK. I can’t help wondering why that is.

Perhaps it’s the fact that Danes cannot find the freedom (associated with anonymity and foreignness), which they’ve grown to like in other countries, back in the small and culturally homogeneous city of Copenhagen (as opposed to Americans returning to New York and Brits returning to London – two huge multicultural cities where even locals can feel free and anonymous). Or perhaps it has something to do with the Danish tradition of ‘nurturing a collective self esteem’, or in other words – the patriotic indoctrination most countries practice, but which Denmark seems especially good at. I was once told this is a result of the loss of territory and power in the 19^th century, requiring the building of a new type of national pride not linked to international political might. Whatever the reason, it worked brilliantly!

This might be the reason behind the conviction held by many Danes that Denmark is in fact a perfect society. I can see then why when Danes move abroad and find their home country is not perfect (as all people do when living abroad), they struggle more than others (something I can personally identify with coming from a country that’s exceptionally good in the art of nurturing a collective self esteem, which I tend to call good old nationalism).

I can keep speculating about the real causes of the plight of Danish repatriates, but a more important point is that every country in pursuit of continuous improvement can benefit greatly from its nation’s repatriates, who bring a different perspective and often a strong will to change things for the better. I’ve met many of those in my last few months in Denmark; now the question is whether their insights can be utilized for the benefit of the country.

What Dankort says about Denmark

During my happy days as a travelling consultant – based in London but spending most of my time in airports and on planes – I had the privilege of visiting scores of European cities on a regular basis. Fortunately, paying for products and services was always easy, as my UK-issued debit and credit cards were accepted everywhere, from Istanbul to Madrid, Rome to Oslo and anything in between. Actually, there was one exception – Copenhagen. Yes, years before even considering moving to Denmark I experienced a great Danish contradiction – one of the most technologically advanced and digitized countries on earth turned out to be the only one in Europe where a large proportion of retailers do not accept foreign credit and debit cards. Uncanny.

Being a curious chap I started asking the Danes I knew what the deal was with the Danish Dankort. It turns out the story is essentially a positive one – in the early 80’s the Dankort was launched as a regulated and cheap (for both merchants and consumers) payment card, in order to encourage stores to accept cards and encourage people to use them. It was so successful that apparently more than 90% of Danes possess one, and almost all retailers accept it. Already in the early 90’s Denmark experienced higher payment card penetration rates than most other Western countries due to the success of the Dankort initiative. So far so good.

Enter globalization. Increasing tourism (yes, even to Denmark) and international business bringing more and more foreigners to Denmark. And none of them holding a Dankort, naturally. What are they to do? “there’s a cash machine around the corner, you can use your foreign card to take cash out” was the typical answer from the salesmen at the store / supermarket / cinema / ticket office / ferry or any other of the thousands of retailers that never even seemed to consider accepting any other card. (OK, maybe not the ferry – no point looking for a cash machine around the corner there…)

So a story with good intentions (wanting to accelerate the penetration of payment cards in Denmark) ended up back-firing by discouraging retailers from accepting any other card than Dankort, since most other cards carry higher charges for the merchants compared to the cheap and regulated Dankort. How could the authorities completely overlook the entire non-resident constituency (tourists, foreign business people and other visitors) when launching this important initiative? And what does it say about public policy in Denmark? Well, it was the 80’s after all, perhaps visitors’ numbers were not quite high at the time.

Back to the present day – I shockingly find that many retailers in the big ‘cosmopolitan’ metropolis called Copenhagen still do not accept any other card. My shock deepens when I find out that it’s not only foreign debit and credit cards that are refused – it’s also local Danish debit cards that are not Dankort! Why does this matter? Because Danish banks refuse to give new customers the precious Dankort until they have a ‘regular income’ over at least 3 months. “But it’s not even a credit card, it’s a debit card linked to my bank account, and I have enough money in the account to cover my outgoings, so there’s zero risk to you” I said to the bank clerk. “Sorry, those are the rules” he responded. So here I am, living in Denmark with a local bank account for 8 months now, and I am still shown the way to the closest cash machine by many a salesperson in many establishments. I can get by with my Danish debit card all over the world but not in my hometown of Copenhagen. Embarrassing.

This bizarre situation probably explains why most expats and foreigners I meet here mention ‘getting a Dankort’ as one of their biggest frustrations in starting a life in Denmark. The banks don’t give it easily, and many retailers don’t accept anything else.

So what does all this say about Denmark? To me it’s another example of how Denmark is indeed a well-functioning society – for locals rather than newcomers. I experienced (and wrote about) it before – when confronting the job market, the real estate market and the vuggestue waiting list – and I will no doubt experience (and write about) it again. Sometimes this country feels like a place that completely ignores the fact that there are some people in the world who weren’t born here and didn’t grow up here, but nevertheless are interested in visiting, living, studying or working in Denmark. Hopefully those people will be considered next time the country launches a Dankort-type initiative.

My wonderful Copenhagen, Denmark

In the spirit of the festive season I decided to dedicate this post to the things I like most about my new ‘host’ city Copenhagen – and about Denmark in general. Having been away on holiday actually helps, as I can already tell what I miss about this place when I’m away. So here goes:

The bread. A small but important thing. Real bakeries are a thing of the past in London and New York, notwithstanding the occasional feeble attempt at a revival, but in Copenhagen they exist in decent numbers (perhaps not at Parisian levels, but still impressive). Yes, they’re outrageously expensive, but it’s nice to have good quality freshly baked bread so accessible. And while we’re on the topic of outrageously expensive food items I should mention coffee, too – once you get over the price you appreciate the ease with which you can get a good cup of coffee in a European city outside of Italy.

Then there’s the waterways – the lakes, the harbour and the canals of Copenhagen make it a place where water is visible in so many areas, giving it a sense of beauty and serenity that every big city needs. Another thing that renders Copenhagen an aesthetic place is the soft light glowing through its residents’ windows – I’m always amazed how light in Denmark is a soft yellow as opposed to the harsh white seen in most of the world. Without doubt one of the best aspects of the ‘hygge’ culture. And the fact that most flats and houses have no curtains on the windows says so much about people’s desire to bring the outdoor inside and not shut themselves away behind closed doors and blocked windows, creating an inviting sensation and adding beauty to Copenhagen’s night-time cityscape. I love that.

And of course, how can I not mention the bike lanes, Copenhagen’s pride and joy – and rightly so. I’ve never experienced such an efficient and comprehensive cycling infrastructure, making transportation within the city so quick and easy, and keeping everyone in shape while at it! Even though I sometimes feel Copenhagen’s cyclists are the equivalent of New York’s cabbies (I once saw a cyclist speaking on the mobile phone on one hand and holding a cigarette on the other, while trying to put on a jacket – and overtaking me at the same time), I’ve taken to cycling like I never have before.

As for Denmark in general the list is quite long: I love that there’s nothing unusual about people leaving work at 16:00 to pick up the kids from childcare, irrespective of gender and seniority. I love that in my daughter’s ‘pegebog’ the bus-driver is a woman rather than a man, and the parent pushing a baby-stroller down the street is a father rather than a mother. And what summarizes this point better than the fact that Denmark has a ministry for gender equality. This says so much about the values and priorities of this region, and I can only hope the rest of the world one day follows suit. Some countries already have.

I also like that people here are annoyingly good looking. It often makes me feel jealous and inadequate, but it adds so much to the general aesthetic nature of this place. And I never cease to be impressed by the average Dane’s language skills, superior to all other nations I’m personally familiar with. A while ago I watched the TV show ‘Udland’ and was dumbstruck when I saw the host Erkan Özden switch to fluent English to interview an American living in Denmark, followed by fluent Turkish when interviewing a Turkish band visiting Denmark. It’s not only the fact that he could speak 3 languages fluently that I liked, but also the fact that the entire sequence was aired on Danish public television as a matter of fact. Somehow I can’t see that happening in the US.

Another thing I recently saw on TV struck a chord with me – it was a female politician being interviewed in a news program wearing a smart suit… and hiking boots. It was snowing that day. I thought it was just great that neither she nor anyone else saw anything wrong with a senior politician appearing on national television wearing a suit and hiking boots. There’s something very Danish about that, and it says a lot about the focus on substance rather than style in Danish politics.

And a couple of more points on the topic of Danish politics – it’s so refreshing to see the level of trust Danes have in general in their politicians and political system. I realize it’s on the decline, but it’s still significantly higher than in most other countries, and I hope it stays that way (a recent international survey on this topic by the British Office of National Statistics ranked Denmark first in the world, with 50% of the population trusting politicians). And it’s great to witness how engaged and involved the Danes are politically. While many Western nations are showing increasing political apathy, the Danes seem to be actively debating anything from immigration and pollution to social policies and international diplomacy (anything except for taxes it seems, but that’s a topic for another post), making this a dynamic democracy.

I could mention a lot more things, like the genuine and direct way in which the Danes express themselves, dispensing with the multitude of filters and formalities so beloved by Anglo-Saxons (yes, the result can be offensive but communication is less formal, companies are less hierarchical and people are more real). Or the fact that trains and airports can cope with snow blizzards without a complete system breakdown. What a change from England! But if I keep going I might lose any credibility as an objective critic of Denmark so I’m going to have to stop here. Happy new year everyone!

Jul without a julefrokost

If I had a krone for every time I heard someone talk about the importance of attending a julefrokost in order to socially integrate in Denmark, well, I might not be rich but I’d probably have enough money to buy a cafe latte in Copenhagen. While I wasn’t fortunate enough to score an invitation to a julefrokost this year (probably because I don’t have a ‘proper job’ yet, as my mom would put it) I still can’t help wondering what it is about this event that makes it so essential in Danish life.

Naturally I’m not referring to the actual Christmas day lunch, but to the traditional Christmas office parties taking place throughout December. One website with information to foreigners on Denmark describes these events as a ‘unique chance to see the native Danes at their most Danish’ – apparently the event consists of the Danish staples of social events, which means long-winded speeches, cheerful (and as mentioned in my last post, somewhat dorky to the foreign eyes) song-singing, and of course – lots of drinking. All of which can probably be summed up as the essence of ‘hygge’ and all of which I’ve experienced before at social and family events in Denmark.

I’ve always felt that social events in Denmark are quite telling about the Danish culture since they appeared to be rather different from social events I had experienced elsewhere, especially in the number and length of speeches and songs (I’m still not quite sure what the deal is with all those songs). The sheer duration of the events themselves is also quite shocking to the initiate. The above-mentioned website describes it well: ‘The Danes have a remarkable ability to sit at a party table for hours on end, practising an extreme, and possibly inherited form of bladder control’.

But it appears that the julefrokost stands out from other Danish social events, especially in two ways: the amount of alcohol consumed (the website calls the event ‘a party where the Danes gather to eat and drink themselves into a frenzy of Christmas cheer’) and the, how shall we put it, ‘friendly’ behavior displayed by employees (referred to as ‘employees are expected to let their hair down’ by the website). Stories from friends mention frequent physical activity among co-workers and sometimes even with bosses. This sounded quite familiar to me – I’ve experienced it before in London.

One of my first shocks in London when I moved there years ago was the somber and unsocial office work environment (anyone who’s experienced the English work tradition of lunch equaling a sandwich eaten hastily at one’s desk in front of one’s computer, would know what I’m talking about). The shock got greater when during my first office Christmas party I witnessed all my colleagues becoming extremely friendly and social under the influence of alcohol, the contrast with the normal day-to-day behavior being so stark that it brought Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to mind. I’ll never forget coming home that night and telling my partner that I discovered my colleagues did in fact have a social personality and that everything would now be different at the office. Sure enough, the following Monday there was no trace of that night’s behavior and the day-to-day routine went straight back to its depressingly unsocial former self.

The stories I hear of the Danish julefrokost, with its extreme warm and social behavior by co-workers followed by a chilling return to the office code on the following Monday, sound strangely similar to my London experiences. I say strangely, because in London I blamed the typical English reserve and politeness for the change of behavior from ‘everyday distant’ to ‘Christmas party night warm’. In Denmark I always felt people were direct and honest (not to say uninhibited) as a general rule – why then do they also seem to change their behavior drastically under the influence of alcohol at the office Christmas party? Surely in their case there’s not such a great need to ‘let go’ and ‘lose one’s inhibitions’ as in the case of the English?

Perhaps the conclusion is that the Danes are not as much ‘themselves’ in the office environment as I had always thought, and that therefore they do in fact have a need to let their hair down during the Christmas party. Or maybe the Danes, just like the English and so many others, simply enjoy getting drunk and frisky with their colleagues one night a year. I’ll probably only be able to answer the question if and when I ever join a ‘typical’ Danish office environment and attend a typical julefrokost. Meanwhile I can find comfort in the fact that I’m not the only one missing out on a julefrokost experience this year – a Danish friend working for a ‘proper’ company told me their party got cancelled this year due to cutbacks, and apparently they’re one of many companies to do so. It sounds like this year many Danes will have to find another opportunity to let their hair down…

Wanted: readers with a sense of humour

Reading some of the comments to my first couple of blog posts on Politiken got me thinking about a question I often hear discussed among foreigners in Denmark: do the Danes have a sense of humour? At this point you might be thinking that this is a bit of a silly question – every nation or nationality has some sort of humour, they’re just not all of the exact same kind. True. So perhaps a better question is: what kind of humour do the Danes have?

A peek at the thoroughly entertaining book ‘The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Danes’ reveals an interesting take on Danish humour by outsiders. As a side note, I’m a big believer that everyone should read their own country’s Xenophobe’s Guide (somewhat of a counterintuitive thought as the primary audience for those books are foreigners visiting the country discussed and wanting to understand it better). The reason being that one can never truly view one’s own culture with fresh unbiased eyes other than by learning how it’s viewed by objective outsiders (hint hint), and in this book’s case – outsiders with a great sense of humour.

In any case, the book says interesting things like “Danish humour suffers from the handicap of the Danes’ literal-mindedness”, “biting political satire is not widespread”, “sarcasm and self-deprecation are likely to be misunderstood”, and notably – “Danes have a weakness for slapstick”. Is it true that Danes are too literal to understand sarcasm, or too naive to observe humorous nuances?

Many years ago I was speaking to a friend in New York about her favourite nationalities when it comes to finding a boyfriend. “What about Scandinavians?” I asked her, being myself in the midst of a love affair with a Dane and as a result with anything Scandinavian. “Nah, too boring. I need some spice” she said. Funnily enough I felt somewhat offended and rushed to the defence of the Danes, trying to debunk the common preconception that Scandinavians are too cold to be ‘spicy’ or ‘humorous’. Pretty soon though I realized it was a lost cause with that particular friend.

My friend was not the only one who falls victim to this ‘common wisdom’ held by many, who tend to associate humour with warm climates (Mediterranean and Latin American countries), while seeing colder regions (Canada? Scandinavia?) as more sedate and lacking in biting humour, with Britain being an obvious exception. And I have to admit my first few experiences of Danish humour seemed to support this prejudice – having experienced some happy-clappy Danish weddings, with lots of ‘hurrahs’, comic speeches and funny song singing, made me feel that there’s something very naive, and even a little dorky about Danish humour. And watching some commercials, films and TV shows like The Julekalendar did in fact indicate a weakness for the ‘silly’ side of humour. I also often felt my cynicism was interpreted as negativity, and my sarcastic comments were sometimes taken literally.

But with time I realized that even though the Danish humour seems at first rather unsophisticated, reality was more complex than that. Most Danes I met displayed a much ‘healthier’ and more ‘intelligent’ sense of humour than others I’ve come across over the years (Mediterranean or not), with a full appreciation for irony, sarcasm and satire. Classic Danish films like ‘Italian for Beginners’ and ‘Babette’s Feast’, and even the memorable TV show ‘Matador’ (not to mention the iconic Olsen Banden series) showed that subtle and witty humour is very much a Danish staple. The recent TV show ‘Klovn’ is another great example. And I also came to appreciate the naivety in Danish society – a rare collective quality that is so very charming and refreshing after the blasé and jaded feeling of New York and London.

So Danish humour might not be of the dry, deadpan English type, but intelligent it certainly is. And while Danes do suffer from literal-mindedness in general, it doesn’t really seem to impede their sense of humour. And let’s face it – don’t all nations suffer from a weakness for silly humour on occasions? Perhaps my initial impressions of misunderstood sarcasm had more to do with the language barrier – with the different terms, intonation, nuances and everything else that goes with it – than with taking things literally.

As for the long pseudo-academic quasi-sociological comments on my blog that may be completely accurate but seem to me to have absolutely nothing to do with what I write about – well, it might be a lack of humour or simply a refusal to accept a blog that talks about ‘Danishness’ from an anecdotal rather than anthropological perspective (academic texts and scientific publications might be more appropriate than mainstream media for a research-based approach). Be it as it may, I’ll keep hoping there’s a silent majority out there that approaches my blog with sufficient humour to be able to get something out of it.

Are the 'soft' Danish values enough to attract foreign professionals?

An article in Politiken yesterday reported on the results of a recent study among international ‘knowledge workers’ in Denmark, showing that 9 out of 10 respondents emphasized the fact that Danish employers respect their employees’ family lives. The article suggested that Denmark should ‘sell itself’ to foreign professionals using the associated soft values of flexible working hours, welfare and security. Throw in liquorice and Danish design and you really have a perfect society! But jokes aside, I must say I agree. I’m just not sure whether those are strong enough on their own to attract foreign talent.

One of my most enduring memories of business school in New York – and one that shows how far the Danish mentality is from the American mentality – is a story told by my finance professor in class one day. He began explaining to us students how his family managed to avoid paying almost any income and capital gains taxes over the years by constantly borrowing against their assets, and enjoying the associated tax breaks. He was part bragging part ‘teaching’ us how to mange our finances wisely. His comments were at once funny and tasteless, but most importantly gave me a great insight into the American psyche as a foreigner trying to make sense of the land of opportunity – taxes are bad, maximizing profit is key, and in general the individual reigns supreme.

This approach is partly what makes America so driven, productive and successful, but it arguably leads to a work ethic that does not sufficiently consider family and community life. Denmark can be perceived as the other end of the spectrum, where the term ‘community’ far overshadows the concept of ‘the individual’ in many ways, and where individual profit is less important than collective wealth. This makes it a place where values such as family life, work-life balance and support for others are paramount.

Another experience that sharpened this point for me was when I compared the reactions I received from many in London to having my first child (“oh, you’ll now find that you want to work harder and longer to support your family and to have some time off from a crying baby and dirty nappies…”) to those my friends in Denmark received following a similar development (“you should probably switch to ‘flextime’ so that you can spend more time with your family”). That just says it all, doesn’t it?

I personally find this focus on private life attractive and I’m sure there are lots of other foreign professionals who do. But it’s far from certain to me that respect for an employee’s family life, however lovely it is for us parents, is enough to attract foreign professionals in the global competition for talent. Of course there’s the obvious issue of pay and taxes, which is partly addressed by the well-meaning but flawed special tax scheme for foreigners. Then there’s the expectation by international professionals that working in Denmark will contribute to their global career, in case they choose to move on after a while rather than settle down here. That perception doesn’t exist at the moment.

More than anything though, I think Denmark lacks a fundamentally open and international job market, where foreign professionals feel that opportunities are available to them irrespective of their local ‘network’ or their command of Danish and the Danish way (something that international knowledge workers expect and that I don’t feel exists here to a sufficient extent, as I wrote before). Naturally there will always be positions that only native Danish speakers can and should fulfil, but the rest need to be made accessible also to those who haven’t lived their whole lives here. The horrific (and what I consider unconstitutional) Danish holiday pay system – which currently creates a bizarre situation where newcomers get no paid time off in their first 12-16 months of work in Denmark because they don’t have any holiday pay ‘accrued’ from last year – is a small example of how much the job market infrastructure here ignores people who haven’t lived and worked in Denmark their whole lives.

 
As I said before, attracting and retaining foreign talent is not just a matter of politics and policies, but also of mentality and habits. It’s business owners, managers and ordinary people who need to genuinely want to have an international work environment and society before the Danish job market can become truly open, dynamic and welcoming to outsiders. Selling Denmark’s soft values is the relevant and sensible way to go, but it will be much more successful if the legal and mental ‘infrastructures’ take a few leaps forward to that end.