In recent decades, Denmark has been seeing more and more of an influx of internationals. There seems to be a misconception that many think internationals who come to Denmark are unskilled, which is not the case. Many internationals who are now coming to Denmark are highly educated with a university degree.

Denmark can highly benefit from having an international, skilled labor force. Here are 5 reasons why Danish companies should be hiring internationals.

Recruit Highly Specialized People

  Internationals are able to fit in niches that are tough to fill. Every 6 months, New to Denmark published the Positive List of what the need is in the Danish labor market. When you check out the list, you can see what fields are in high demand in Denmark and how it can help you in hiring internationals easily.

According to Danmarks Statistik, there are more than 600,000 internationals who are currently living in Denmark  and many of them have a higher education. Let's not forget internationals who are studying at Danish universities. Better catch them before they go back to their home country with their Danish education! So looking inside Denmark would also be beneficial because you would save on mobility costs.

Give a Global Perspective

  Internationals are able to contribute to a different, cultural aspect in a given area. Let's remember that they have lived, worked and/or studied in another country. Employees from a different background can think outside the Danish cultural box, such as having insights on a specific market or knowing how to communicate to relevant stakeholders from other countries. They can give new life and creativity on a given idea based on their skills and competences that the Danish labor market may not have.

Also, having a diversified workforce can help prevent your company from stifling. Part of the success of a company is having continual growth. Internationals can certainly bring this to the table through their innovative and intercultural  thought processes to help bring the company more revenue.

Have Diverse Knowledge and Skills

  Internationals can give an edge to a company by giving specialized expertise and skills that the Danish labor pool may not have access to.

Let's take a step back. They might have a different educational background. So the way they were trained may have a different approach, which could give some new insights not thought of before.

Don't forget that internationals bring many different language skills . Having a mother tongue in a specific language would be a great advantage. For example, having someone who has secondary knowledge of the language compared to  someone who is a mother tongue, might not be able to effectively communicate or understand the cultural implications.

Improve Your Brand

  Being a company that is internationally friendly is great for business branding. What does it mean to be internationally friendly? It means that you hire internationals into your company.

So let's think about it for a minute here. Having international talent in your team can secure long-term recruitment needs and can take your brand to a global level.

Never underestimate the power that internationals have. They have a global network. They have a network on a global and national scale (they have their internal international network in Denmark too). They can help not only fill in the talent pool that you need but also spread the word of your company and brand.

Enrich Company Culture

  There is a myth slithering through the cracks that an international might not be able to fit into the company culture because they come from a different ethnic background. In fact, it would only enhance it, not hinder it!

Internationals are very adaptable. Remember, they have taken the courage to live in a new country and are making an effort to be accepted and belong in Danish society.

Internationals are very open, friendly, hard-working and socially active. Internationals can bring your company out of its shell and do activities that it never did before.

For example, you could hold a festivity that brings your company together, like celebrating Diwali, Thanksgiving and/or St. Patty's Day. Who can say no to food and drink? 

Finding commonality brings everyone to the workplace together by finding things in common that everyone enjoys. You find that many values that your company has are not so different from theirs. Then, when you find these similarities, you may find that the differences can only bring positive change to your corporation, taking your company to new heights.

Kate Dahl is an American, who has lived in Europe for 11.5 years (6.5 years in Germany and 5 years in Denmark). She has her Master of Arts from the University of Flensburg and was an English teacher in Germany for 4.5 years. She reinvented herself when she came to Denmark and was in the sales start-up SaaS industry for 4.5 years as well. Now, following her passion, she helps in training internationals in how to communicate their value to Danish companies as she has had practical experience in landing jobs in Denmark with all types of job search strategies.

Learn more by going to her website: www.careerdenmark.dk