The labour markets of southern Sweden, Copenhagen and Zealand in general are steadily integrating into one single but enlarged labour market.
An enlarged labour pool is one reason why 500 out of the 2200 foreign companies in the region have established their Scandinavian headquarter here, as they can draw on the competencies of both Danish and Swedish labour.
The integration of the labour markets is supported by major infrastructural projects in the region. The Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden as well as other large infrastructural projects enable fast and easy commuting between the two countries. Consequently, working in Denmark while living in Sweden and vice versa has become much easier, and the administrations in both countries are continually working on ensuring further integration of the labour markets in the Øresund Region. As a result, commuting over Øresund has tripled since the opening of the bridge in 2000 concludes a report from the Öresund Committee and the Øresund Bridge Consortium.
Not only is the geographic mobility between Sweden and Denmark increasing. Also the geographic mobility within the Greater Copenhagen area is high. The high rate of mobility can be explained by the following factors:
-
Short travel time relative to travel distance from the outskirts to the centre of Greater Copenhagen due to effective infrastructure
-
Personal tax deduction for long distance commuting
As a result, a total of 70,000 people living in other parts of Denmark as well as in Sweden are employed in the region, which is illustrated in The table below. All in all, the Øresund Region represents an attractive labour market, which draws on the strengths of both southern Sweden and most parts of Denmark.
|
TABLE: NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORKING IN THE COPENHAGEN REGION WITH RESIDENCE OUTSIDE THE REGION
|
|
Place of residence
|
Number of people working in the Copenhagen Region
|
|
Øresund Region, Sweden (2005)
|
8,300*
|
|
Denmark, outside Copenhagen Region (2004)
|
65,215
|
|
Total
|
70,273
|
Source: www.orestat.scb.se, Statistics Denmark and a Report on Commuting from the Öresund Committee and the Øresund Bridge Consortium
*Estimated number based on 2003 data.
For more information, download the factsheet "Labour Market
