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To access a pool of international tech talent, Digital Hub Denmark collaborated with Copenhagen Capacity and 35 Danish companies to create a talent attraction campaign. As a result of these efforts, Denmark secured 32 international hires.
August 10, 2022 / 3 min. read
Denmark is stepping up its game
to attract international talent
Collaboration secured 32 international hires
To access a pool of international tech talent, Digital Hub Denmark collaborated with Copenhagen Capacity and 35 Danish companies to create a talent attraction campaign. As a result of these efforts, Denmark secured 32 international hires.
Short supply of specialized tech talent
There is a short supply of specialized tech talent in the world, and Denmark is no exception. This is crucial for companies with digital business models as the talent pool available will ultimately determine whether they can continue to do business in Denmark or be forced to move jobs abroad.
Our values of work-life balance, flat hierarchies and general security in society are in demand among young talents around the world. However, we also know that Denmark is not a top priority among international talents and we are losing ground to destinations that we usually compare ourselves with, such as Sweden, Germany and the UK.
That is why we need to brand Denmark and our offer internationally much more progressively and purposefully than we have done in the past.
To alleviate the shortage of talent, we, at Digital Hub Denmark, are always trying to attract foreign tech talent to open positions in Denmark. We are constantly experimenting with new channels and tactics, you may have read about our recent post on recruitment efforts via Reddit.
Joining forces for greater impact
In 2021, we collaborated with Copenhagen Capacity and 35 Danish companies in a talent attraction campaign called “State of Denmark”. The goal was to fill in as many of the jobs available, upwards of 100, by reaching an international audience across numerous social channels.
The target group for this campaign was made up of experienced international candidates with at least 3 years of experience within the following roles: Frontend, Backend, Full-stack, DevOps, IT architecture, Data science, iOS/Android, Software engineering or similar.
Results of the campaign speak for themselves
We now have the final results from the campaign and the numbers speak for themselves: over 9000 applications and 32 international hires.
One of the several companies that found a successful candidate through the campaign was Subaio, a Fintech company based in Aalborg.
Subaio currently has around 50 employees. The company is at a critical stage in its scaling journey, where its ability to keep up with the high demand for its solution is dependent on being able to hire more people.
According to Søren Nielsen, COO of Subaio, there is a risk of having to say no to deals worth double-digit millions if it does not find more qualified talent:
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“We must hire a minimum of 50 new colleagues over the next two years. We are willing to do what we can to maintain as many jobs as possible in Denmark. But it is a big challenge and as a result, we may be forced to send jobs abroad if we do not succeed in attracting enough experienced developers.”
Well-being for the win
Subaio participated in the international branding campaign winter of 2021. Among the applicants was Julio Lino from Sao Paulo in Brazil, who made his way to Aalborg back in February.
"I had been looking for a job in a European tech company for a year when I came across the State of Denmark campaign. Until then, I knew nothing about Denmark and I was not aware that most employers here have a large focus on well-being, both inside and outside of work.
The difference between Sao Paulo and Aalborg is massive, especially when it comes to work-life balance. So far, I have experienced a very professional and open culture that many Brazilians in the tech industry will be sure to find attractive,” says Julio Lino.
Although getting talent to Denmark doesn’t come without its hurdles, it’s important to keep spreading the word on the things that make Danish work culture so unique. A focus on well-being and democratization are top of mind.
Danish tech companies experienced extraordinary growth last year, and if we expect to keep this up, then we must find the qualified talent to match it.
If you want to learn more about how we attract talent to Denmark be sure to visit our website or come meet us at TechBBQ for a friendly chat.
We’re more than happy to support any efforts in recruiting international talent.
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