Companies' perspectives on highly skilled and educated foreign workers - Addressing labor shortages in North Jutland

Benesovà, Angelika

4. term

Culture, Communication and Globalization, Master

2025

2025-06-01

46 pages

This research paper contributes to the literature regarding labor shortages in North Jutland and how local companies respond to the growing lack of highly skilled and educated workers. Due to changes in demographics such as emigration of young people, an aging population, and an overall mismatch between labor demand and supply, the region faces issues with labor shortages of highly skilled and educated workers. This research paper will focus on sectors that are already facing issues with labor supply, including renewable energy, consulting and engineering, and IT software. This research paper investigates how companies in North Jutland experience and respond to the issue of growing labor shortages, particularly of highly educated workers, and the potential solution of a foreign labor force. This research paper combines qualitative interviews with company representatives from marine engineering, renewable energy, IT and software, and construction engineering with quantitative survey data in order to explore experiences and perceptions of local companies. Moreover, the background section of the paper provides insightful information about the Danish labor market, foreign workers, and relevant policies, as well as information about the regional North Jutland labor market. These interviews were thematically and later comparatively analyzed in order to reveal not only shared but also different experiences and opinions in relation to labor shortages and foreign workers as a possible solution to local labor supply. Additionally, to support the analysis section, relevant survey results were implemented. These findings were implemented throughout Human Capital Theory, which aligns with the idea that companies benefit from investing in their human capital, including foreign workers. Most of the interviewed companies invest in upskilling their foreign workers in terms of Danish language courses. Moreover, all four companies offer professional upskilling programs, which are beneficial for both parties, especially for companies, as they are investing in the improvement of their human capital. Many businesses recognize foreign workers as a valuable asset to their team productivity and offer additional help with integration, including network, accommodation, or relocation support. This research paper summarizes that recruitment of foreign workers will likely increase in the future due to a mismatch between labor demand and supply in North Jutland. Moreover, as already mentioned, demographic changes will have a negative impact on local companies as well. Findings of this research paper offer insights into perceptions and experiences of local businesses and address imbalance of labor market.

labor shortages ; foreign workers ; North Jutland

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