Focus on our Members - Copenhagen Relocations

Michele Bramstoft
Managing Partner

The joke of our industry is that when most people think of Denmark, they assume it is the capital of Sweden. But for those of us in the know, Denmark is its own country—albeit a small one.  

This kingdom battles with its smallness these days. With only five million Danes running about, this nation is like many other European countries in that it struggles with the waning number of skilled job seekers.  

As the baby boomers move swiftly towards their pension days, Denmark is in need of a new wave of qualified workers. The country has had a negative growth rate which has resulted in progressively smaller generations over the past fifty years.  

Help seems to be on the way, however, since the government heads towards liberalization of immigration policies which will allow an increase in the inflow of qualified workers.  According to the Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in an interview with the Danish daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende, “In the private sector alone over the next ten years, about 200,000 people will retire. That’s more than one in four. If we don’t find a solution to the problem, it will slow growth. And that would erode our standard of living.” 

This statement alarms Danes, since an integral characteristic of their economy is its high standard of living. State-funded health care and tuition, the high level of transparency in business dealings, and the egalitarian and democratic work methods all contribute to Denmark’s quality of life.  

To avoid this erosion in living standards, the Prime Minister continued to say that help is to be found outside Denmark’s borders; he is ready to make it easier for foreigners to work in Denmark.  This political goal has resulted in the recent introduction of a Green Card system – inspired by Canada and the USA – which makes it easier for highly-qualified individuals to seek jobs in Denmark.  This has created the potential for a dramatic increase in relocations—a very positive development for our industry.  

Despite this positive shift, Denmark is experiencing some growing pains. Following the recent implementation of this Green Card system, the Danish immigration service has been strained under the pressure of so many new arrivals.  This has a direct impact on our work at Copenhagen Relocations, since we are dependent upon this public service. Short staffing at the Danish immigration service has resulted in longer waiting times, which in turn affects our clients. 

Despite the growing pains, however, this new immigration policy has made our work at Copenhagen Relocations even more interesting. Our clients have embraced the policy by increasing the number of non-Danish hires. Our workload has risen significantly, allowing us to specialize in immigration issues.   All in all, it is an exciting time to be in the relocation industry in Denmark. 

Our current situation differs greatly from when we entered this business just a little over ten years ago. Relocation life was much simpler then and Copenhagen Relocations was much smaller. We had fewer clients; those we did service (for the most part) were accustomed to moving around the world.

Now, with the recent increase in immigration, the number and nature of relocations has gradually shifted from the mature and experienced transfers to more of a novice and more complex client group.  Over the past five years, we experienced lulls in the flow of incoming business – undoubtedly more noticeable after 9/11. However, after talking to fellow relocation colleagues in Lisbon earlier this year, our impression is the pick-up in business seems to be widespread.  

Denmark is booming and what had been a predominantly small relocation market is now growing.  “You’ve come a long way baby!”

This is true for a number of things – the European Relocation Association, the Danish relocation market, and Copenhagen Relocations ApS.  

An independently-owned company since 1995, Copenhagen Relocations is client-focused, flexible, and innovative. Our internationally-experienced staff is a dynamic group of multilingual professionals who endeavour to make every aspect of the relocation process a positive experience. Copenhagen Relocations has been a member of the European Relocation Association since 1998 and is proud to have been inducted into The International Relocation Association in 2006—making Copenhagen Relocations the only Danish relocation firm to have both affiliations.  

Copenhagen Relocations offers a wide range of services spanning all stages of a client move. Examples of services offered are:  orientation/look-see tours which give the customer a sense of Copenhagen living prior to her/his move, cross-cultural awareness guidance, the setup of temporary accommodation, the home search process, immigration support, car & pet registration, support with the “settling in” process, tenancy & property management, as well as a popular client hotline service to address post-relocation client needs. Prior to leaving Denmark, clients are offered departure support, which includes a broad range of client-specific services.  

Since innovative thinking is a founding principle at this company, Copenhagen Relocations remains responsive to changing client needs by constantly developing new services. This means that the product portfolio is ever-growing.  In addition to traditional relocation products, Copenhagen Relocations is pleased to offer a seminar series to the community at large. Seminar topics range from information about higher education in Denmark, how to seek out volunteer positions as a non-Danish speaker, as well as more social topics addressing Danish holiday traditions and how to make the most of your stay in Denmark. 

A recent—and popular—addition to our product portfolio is a custom-made coaching series focused on life and business facilitation. In summary, we at Copenhagen Relocations are pleased to be in the EuRA network. The conference is a big highlight for us every year, since we get the chance to meet with so many of our peers to trade professional insights.  

We look forward to seeing you in Rome!