Territorial Review Copenhagen - Region Hovedstaden

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education is almost 66% – compared to less than 30% for persons of Danish
origin. Family background partly explains the dropout rate in academic
upper secondary education, but not in vocational education.
Shortage of highly skilled labour
Unemployment in Copenhagen is very low, although the figures conceal
some unused potential. The unemployment rate in Copenhagen stood at 5%
in 2007, the lowest rate in more than three decades, and continued to
decrease well into 2008, reaching a monthly unemployment rate of around
2% in the summer of 2008. Few metropolitan areas in the OECD have lower
unemployment rates. The combination of low unemployment rates and high
participation rates suggests that the labour force is well-utilised. The
participation rate in Copenhagen was almost 80% in 2005; the seventhhighest
participation rate among 78 metropolitan areas in the OECD. High
participation rates can be explained by increased female labour participation
rates, in part supported by government policies that include child care
facilities and the right to maternity leave until children reach 9 years old. 17
The female participation rate in Copenhagen in 2005 was ranked 2 nd out of
39 metropolitan areas in the OECD. Certain demographic groups could,
however, be better used, in particular elderly people, some of those
receiving disability payments and immigrants (see also section below).
Labour market shortages in Denmark have made hiring more difficult in
the last few years. Hiring problems are reported in certain health
professions, the welfare sector, hotels and restaurants and graphic design. A
further tightening of the labour market is forecast in Copenhagen, with
projections through 2015 predicting shortages of doctors, nurses, school
teachers, and social and health care assistants (Madsen and Lundtorp, 2006).
This could lead to increased mobility in the regional labour market, but
given the tight labour market nationally, this will probably not bring much
relief. A shortage of 14 000 qualified engineers is estimated by 2020
(Ministry of Science, Technology and Industry, 2007). Although the
Øresund Region could provide some workers, labour market shortages are
also predicted at the Øresund level. In Copenhagen, labour market shortages
could lead to losses in contested markets, such as tourism and product
technology, and reduce its capacity to innovate. Although the global
financial and economic crisis is expected to increase Denmark‘s
unemployment rate, no easing is expected in the above-mentioned sectors.