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Skilled Trades for Denmark

Engineering, construction, energy, manufacturing and skilled-trade professionals: recruited and relocated under the Positive List for shortage occupations.

Denmark's skilled-trade shortage is structural

Denmark's green-energy transition, infrastructure programme and ageing workforce have created a long-term shortage of skilled trades. Construction sites, manufacturing plants, wind-energy operators and shipyards struggle to staff projects with local labour alone, and the Positive List for Skilled Work has been expanded year over year to address it.

Nordic Relocators sources, qualifies and relocates skilled-trade professionals from established recruitment markets in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, South Asia and the Philippines. Every candidate arrives with verified qualifications, work-permit clearance and a place to live.

The Positive List for Skilled Work covers many trade roles where applicants do not need a higher-education degree, opening Denmark to qualified tradespeople who would otherwise miss the Pay Limit threshold.

Trades and sectors we cover

Construction

  • Carpenters, joiners and cabinet makers.
  • Bricklayers, masons, plasterers and tilers.
  • Concrete and steel-frame specialists.
  • Site managers and project foremen.

Mechanical & electrical

  • Electricians and instrumentation technicians.
  • Plumbers, pipefitters and HVAC engineers.
  • Industrial mechanics and millwrights.
  • Welders (TIG, MIG, structural and pipeline).

Energy & offshore

  • Wind-turbine technicians (onshore and offshore).
  • Offshore-rig mechanics and roustabouts.
  • High-voltage cable jointers and grid technicians.
  • GWO-certified rope-access and rescue teams.

Manufacturing

  • CNC machinists and tool-and-die makers.
  • Assembly-line technicians and operators.
  • Quality-control and metrology technicians.
  • Maintenance and reliability engineers.

Logistics & transport

  • HGV/LGV drivers (CE licence) and drivers with ADR for hazardous goods.
  • Warehouse leads and forklift operators.
  • Marine engineers and shipyard technicians.
  • Logistics planners and dispatchers.

Specialist trades

  • Roofers, painters and specialist insulation installers.
  • Heavy-equipment operators (cranes, excavators).
  • Refrigeration and cold-store technicians.
  • Industrial cleaners (Statoil/Equinor-grade).

Visa pathways for skilled trades

Several Danish work-permit schemes apply, depending on qualification and salary.

  • Positive List for Skilled Work: Designed for vocational/skilled-trade roles below the Pay Limit threshold. Most of our placements use this route.
  • Pay Limit Scheme: For higher-paid trade specialists meeting DKK 514,000+, typically site managers, senior technicians and offshore specialists.
  • Fast-Track Scheme: Available where the employer is SIRI-certified, useful for large industrial and energy projects.
  • Trainee Scheme: For apprentice-level trade professionals up to age 35, in formal Danish training programmes.
  • Working Holiday: For citizens of partner countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, others), useful for short-term seasonal trade work.

How we deliver skilled-trade hires

  1. 1

    Workforce brief

    Roles, headcount, certifications, project location and start date mapped against the Positive List and Pay Limit thresholds.

  2. 2

    Sourcing

    Active outreach across our recruitment partners in EU and non-EU markets with strong trade-training pipelines.

  3. 3

    Qualification verification

    Trade certificates, GWO/IRATA/SIRI-relevant credentials, language tests and reference checks.

  4. 4

    Trial

    Where the employer requires it, a working trial or video assessment is arranged before offer.

  5. 5

    Offer + work permit

    Offer issued under your entity or our EOR, with the SIRI work permit filed immediately.

  6. 6

    Mobilisation

    Travel, housing, CPR, MitID, bank account and PPE/equipment shipping handled before day one.

  7. 7

    Project onboarding

    Site induction, safety training and any local Danish-language briefing, coordinated with your project manager.

Why our skilled-trades pipeline works

  • Pre-cleared for Denmark: Every candidate is pre-screened for SIRI eligibility before they reach you, avoiding visa surprises.
  • Multi-language onboarding: Briefings and contracts in the candidate's language: Polish, Romanian, Filipino, Urdu, Spanish.
  • Housing built-in: Workforce-friendly housing across Jutland, Funen and Zealand: single rooms or shared apartments near sites.
  • Project-team mode: For large projects we deliver fully-managed crews of 10–50 trades with on-site supervision.
  • Compliance-first: Every contract aligned to Danish collective agreements (overenskomst); no grey-zone subcontracting chains.

FAQs: Skilled trades

Do skilled-trade candidates need a higher-education degree?

Not for the Positive List for Skilled Work. A recognised vocational qualification or trade certificate is enough, provided the role is on the list and the employment terms meet Danish standards.

Is Danish required on construction sites?

Many large Danish sites operate in English or have multilingual supervision. For some roles (e.g. electrical authorisations), basic Danish is required, and we factor that into the timeline.

How is salary set?

Skilled-trade salaries are usually set by the applicable collective agreement (overenskomst). We benchmark every offer against the agreement to make sure SIRI accepts the terms.

How quickly can crews mobilise?

EU/EEA crews can mobilise in 3–5 weeks. Non-EU crews typically take 6–12 weeks depending on SIRI processing and consular biometrics in the home country.

Can you handle housing for crews?

Yes. We have workforce-housing partnerships across Denmark and can arrange single-room or shared-apartment accommodation close to your project.

What about safety certifications (GWO, IRATA, etc.)?

We verify every certification before offer. Where re-certification is required for the Danish market, we coordinate the training in advance of mobilisation.

Are there minimum project sizes?

No. We place individual hires (one welder, one HVAC specialist) as well as full crews. Smaller placements typically run via our EOR; larger crews via your own Danish entity.

Mobilise skilled trades for your Danish project

Send us a project brief covering roles, certifications, headcount, and start date, and we will return a recruitment, visa and mobilisation plan within five working days.

Plan your workforce

Workforce sourcing delivered in partnership with Future Concerns.

Skilled Trades for Denmark | Nordic Relocators