Denmark's labor law stipulates that employers must give notice before terminating a salaried employee. The termination notice period applicable to both the employee and employer is often stated in the collective agreements for hourly employees. For salaried employees, the notice period is dependent on their years of service, ranging from 1 month to 6 months.
If the employment relationship is temporary and does not exceed 1 month, no notice period is required. If the employment is probationary and does not exceed 3 months, the employer must provide at least 14 days' notice, while the employee is not required to give notice.
Citizens from the Nordic countries, the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland are entitled to work in Denmark without a permit. However, persons who are EEA or Swiss citizens and intend to reside in Denmark for more than 3 months must apply for an EU residence document.
Other foreign nationals who wish to be employed in Denmark are required to obtain work permits and residence permits. They must have a signed employment contract with their employer. The foreign employee must be advised about the terms of employment either orally or in writing. The approval for a work permit is granted by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).
From January 1, 2026, foreign employers/service providers who post third-country nationals to Denmark must, when registering in the RUT (Register of Foreign Service Providers), upload:
Beginning January 1, 2025, foreign employees are required to carry a valid identification document and present it during inspection visits by the Danish Working Environment Authority or the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. Non-compliance may result in fines.
Effective January 1, 2027, a new collective agreement-based amount scheme for certified companies will be adopted. This scheme will allow certified employers to hire foreign employees form a designated country list at a lower salary threshold (set at DKK 322,000 per year) when the unemployment level in Denmark is below a specified level, provided the job is covered by a relevant collective bargaining agreement approved for the scheme. Such employees will be able to obtain a residence permit. Their residence permit will be extended if they are in the same employment relationship that was the basis for granting the residence permit.
Under Denmark's Holiday Act, employees are entitled to 5 weeks of paid leave per year. Leave is earned continuously from September 1 to August 31 of the following year (12 months), and 2.08 days of paid leave are earned for each month of employment. Holiday pay is the same as the usual and fixed salary at the time of beginning of the leave. It is paid either at the same time as the corresponding holiday begins or holiday allowance for the period from 1 September to 31 May is paid together with the salary for the month of May, while holiday allowance for the remaining part of the holiday year is paid together with the salary for the month of August.
For periods of employment of less than 1 month, the holiday is earned in proportion to the length of employment. Employees can earn and take their leave at the same time over a 16-month period.
The right to paid annual leave does not accrue during periods in which the employee participates in a strike or lockout or during paid maternity or sick leave.
Per the labor law of Denmark, an employee's weekly working time must not exceed 48 hours on average over a period of 4 months, including overtime. Periods of annual paid leave and periods of sick leave are not included in or are neutral in relation to the calculation of the average. From July 1, 2024, employers are allowed to enter into individual agreements with certain employees to work more than 48 hours. This applies only to employees who are covered by collective agreement provisions on on-call shifts and who perform critical functions within the areas.
Employers must give a rest period of at least 11 consecutive hours within every period of 24 hours. There must be at least one 24-hour rest period per week. The employer must do their best to ensure that this period falls on a Sunday and that all employees take this rest at the same time.
The regular daily working hours for night workers must not exceed an average of 8 hours over a period of 4 months. Where a night worker is employed for particularly hazardous work or for work that involves a significant physical or mental strain, no more than 8 hours shall be worked in a 24-hour period during which night work is performed.
From July 1, 2024, all employers are required to adopt an objective, reliable, and accessible working time registration system that makes it possible to measure the daily working time for employees. Employers must ensure that employees have access to their information. This data must be kept for at least 5 years.
Denmark's Maternity Act grants a combined total of 52 weeks of shared parental leave, with up to 4 weeks reserved for the mother prior to birth. After the birth of a child, each parent has an individual right to 24 weeks of paid parental leave with maternity benefit:
Parents of multiple births receive 26 additional weeks of paid leave - 13 weeks per parent. Single parents of multiples receive an additional 13 weeks on top of their 46-week entitlement.
Adoptive parents who are staying abroad to receive a child are entitled to leave from work for up to 4 weeks before receiving the child. In the first 10 weeks after receiving the child, each of the adopters has the right to leave for 6 weeks. Each adopter has the right to transfer up to 4 weeks of their leave to the other adopter. Adoptive parents also have the right to 32 weeks of parental leave.
Each parent has the right to leave for 26 weeks after the death of the child if the child is stillborn or dies before the age of 18. Beginning January 1, 2026, eligible employees can extend maternity leave from 3 months to 12 months if their newborn child must be hospitalized. Employees are also entitled to the extended leave if their newborn is sent home for continued treatment.
There is no statutory minimum wage that applies to all employees in Denmark. Minimum wages are regulated by collective agreements at the sectoral level or negotiated individually between employers and employees.
The Industrial Agreement sets minimum hourly wage rates as follows:
Effective March 1, 2027, these wages will increase to:
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