208,807 global respondents from 190 countries participated in the Decoding Global Talent 2021 survey, which is the largest of its kind. Almost 10,000 of the participating respondents were from Denmark.
Demographics of respondents
Gender distribution
51% men, 47% women and 2% preferred not to disclose.
Age distribution
The majority of respondents were in the age group 25–45 years.
Level of education
- Bachelors: 46%
- Masters: 23%
- Upper secondary: 14%
- Secondary qualification: 14%
- PhD or doctorate: 2%
- No education: 2%
Industry distribution
- Consumer: 14%
- Industrial goods: 8%
- Professional services: 7%
- Retail: 6%
- Health care: 6%
- Technology: 6%
- Financial institutions: 6%
- Public sector: 5%
- Travel and tourism: 4%
- Energy: 3%
- Telecommunications: 3%
- Nonprofit: 2%
- Media: 2%
- Insurance: 1%
- Legal: 1%
- Other: 25%
Job title
- Owner or senior management: 5%
- Middle manager: 18%
- Team leader: 25%
- No management responsibility: 52%
Data was collected via Jobindex, StepStone and other local job portals in the respective countries. Subsequently, The Network and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) analysed the data and prepared three reports.
Overall, the global survey revealed that the following things have changed due to COVID:
- Mobility.
- Remote-working.
- Job changes and retraining.
Willingness to move has declined
Percentages of respondents who worked abroad or were willing to do so in the future:
- 2014: 63.8%
- 2018: 57.1%
- 2020: 50.4%
Great willingness to work remotely
This year, the report examined willingness to work remotely, i.e. to work for an employer in a country you do not necessarily move to. Here there was great willingness, as 58% of Danes and 56.9% globally answered affirmatively.
This should be seen in light of the fact that a lot of people have worked from home during the pandemic – and have realised that it works optimally.
Big shifts in the top 10
| Position | 2014 | 2018 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | USA | Canada |
| 2 | England | Germany | USA |
| 3 | Canada | Canada | Australia |
| 4 | Germany | Australia | Germany |
| 5 | Switzerland | England | England |
| 6 | France | Spain | Japan |
| 7 | Australia | France | Switzerland |
| 8 | Spain | Switzerland | Singapore |
| 9 | Italy | Italy | France |
| 10 | Sweden | Japan | New Zealand |
Canada has overtaken the United States as the most attractive country to work in. Among the reasons for this is that they have handled the pandemic well, have a better social culture and are more open-minded than the United States. And Canada has English as its official language, which is also of great importance.
If we take a Danish perspective, the following applies:
- Danes are less eager to travel than before, just as there has been a decline in our own popularity. See more about this below and feel free to contact us for more information.
Less desire to travel
Among Danish talent, willingness to travel has decreased significantly. From 55% in 2018 to just 27% in 2020 – globally, that desire has dropped to 50%. However, if we examine who actually wants to go abroad, they are talents in creative and digital professions in particular.
Denmark’s popularity is declining
Denmark’s popularity among foreign talent has also declined. From being in 13th place in 2014 and 17th place in 2018, Denmark has now dropped to 25th place in 2020.
It is significant for Danish companies that Denmark is less attractive. Therefore, work is being done – by the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) and many companies – to make Denmark more attractive.
Kaare Danielsen, CEO of Jobindex, says:
“Though Denmark has dropped from 17th to 25th place, it is still a very nice position that is much higher than the country’s size justifies. This shows that a lot of people want to go to Denmark, and that we can attract highly qualified labour from abroad. Danish workplaces have a good reputation abroad. It’s just a matter of reaching out to the foreigners and telling the positive story.”
When we look at our neighbouring countries, Denmark stands out as a particularly attractive country to work in.
| Position | 2020 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | USA |
| 2 | England | Germany |
| 3 | Sweden | Sweden |
| 4 | Norway | Norway |
| 5 | USA | Australia |
| 6 | Spain | England |
| 7 | Australia | Canada |
| 8 | France | Spain |
| 9 | Canada | France |
| 10 | Italy | The Netherlands |
Are you looking to hire outside Denmark?
Then you’re already in the right place. We advertise jobs in 140 countries and work with local job portals that know your market. Everything is done easily through us.
Find answers to your questions
If you want to know more, you are welcome to contact Anders Skov, International Sales Manager, on tel. +45 4068 6889 or Kristina Kjeldahl Helenius, International Sales Director, on tel. +45 2510 1555.
See the full report here
