Engineers are in high demand

Headhunters are actively seeking out engineers, IT specialists and science graduates. Over the past six months, 48 per cent of IDA’s privately employed members have been contacted by a headhunter or another company with an offer to change jobs. This is shown by a new survey conducted by IDA among 14,243 privately employed members.

Malene Matthison-Hansen, chair of the IDA Council of Employees, is not surprised that headhunters are busy reaching out to highly educated professionals with expertise in STEM subjects.

“Unemployment is low among IDA members. In Denmark, we are still failing to train enough new graduates in STEM, just as we face fierce competition from neighbouring countries in the battle for international specialists and talent. At the same time, we are looking towards a future where, due to the university reform, we will be training fewer graduates in STEM at universities. Overall, this means that headhunters and HR departments everywhere will have to fight even harder for the skills available here at home,” she says.

Malene Matthison-Hansen also refers to the recently updated Labour Market Balance from the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment. It shows that there are good job opportunities across a range of STEM disciplines throughout the country.

“For the individual member who possesses some highly sought-after skills, these are good times. But for Denmark and Danish business, it is bad news. If companies cannot find the right skills here at home, it may mean they have to turn down orders or, in the worst case, outsource to places abroad where the relevant skills are available. “That won’t make us any better off,” says Malene Matthison-Hansen.

She urges companies to look towards recent graduates coming out of universities, whilst also doing more to retain their most experienced staff to address the shortage. This is particularly important given the prospect of fewer new graduates in the future.

“With small steps, it is possible for more companies to retain their senior staff. Talk to the individual and draw up a senior agreement that suits both parties. It is strange that, on the one hand, companies are poaching each other’s staff, whilst at the same time, on the other hand, they are sending seniors – who are both able and willing to continue in the labour market – into retirement,” says Malene Matthison-Hansen, referring to the fact that one in six members has retired reluctantly.

The survey shows that it is particularly members in sectors such as construction, consulting engineering and the IT and telecoms industry who are approached by headhunters.
In 2025, 19 per cent of IDA’s members in the private sector changed jobs – either within the same company or to another company.