Denmark: a snapshot of digital skills

Introduction

In the 2024 edition of the Digital Decade report, Denmark has achieved 69,6% basic digital skills coverage, compared to the EU average of 55.6%. This puts Denmark at 87% of the overall target for the EU 2030 goal, which aims to have 80% of the EU population possessing at least basic digital skills. The country has seen an annual growth of 0,7% from the previous year. Despite the overall improvements Denmark is still showing important gender differences (only 22.6% of employed ICT specialists are women).

According to the Digital Decade report 2024, Denmark performs better than the EU average in both digital skills indicators. The percentage of ICT specialists in employment has surpassed the EU average, increasing from 5.7% to 5.9% (EU average – 4.8%).

Microsoft’s Digital Futures Index in 2022 measured the digitalization level of 16 European countries, including Denmark. The Index provides information about the country’s current state of digitalization and identifies the most successful areas, as well as those that require additional effort to accelerate the digital transformation process. Digitalization is perceived through 5 categories of digital development: Digital Business, Digital Government and Public Sector, Digital Infrastructure, Digital Sector, and Human Capital. The aggregate level of digital development in Denmark is 161, which is 61% above the average for CEE. Denmark ranks well above average in all categories, placing second overall, one point behind Finland.

The Danish Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition (DSJC Danmark – for digitale kompetencer og job) is a multi-stakeholder alliance dedicated to addressing the digital skills gap, promoting lifelong learning, and disseminating real-world practises and utilisation of products, services, and resources. Danish IT Society (Dansk IT) is coordinating the Coalition’s contributions, initiatives, activities, and projects. Members of the Coalition are representatives of academia and education sector, industry, public and not-for-profit sector with the mission to unite, strengthen and develop the skills and expertise of IT Users and IT Professionals in Denmark and to promote and support IT in areas where it creates value for the Danish society.

Overview of state strategies and national initiatives

State strategies

National Strategy for Digitalisation is presented by the Danish government in May 2022. Strategy for Digitalisation was created upon recommendations prepared by the Danish Government Digitisation Partnership in 2021. As one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world, Denmark excels at seizing digital opportunities. Answering the challenge to implement technological solutions broadly so that everyone can benefit. The government’s strategy for digitalisation encompasses both the public and private sectors. Visions embedded in the strategy are: Strengthened cyber and information security; Coherent service for people and businesses; More time for welfare through increased use of new technology; Increased growth and digital SMEs; The digital healthcare of the future; Acceleration of the green transition through digital solutions; A strong, ethical, and responsible digital foundation; Denmark at the centre of international digitalisation; and A population ready for a digital future.

Denmark’s Digital Growth Strategy 2025 was published in 2018 with the intention of fostering the growth of a community of highly skilled professionals. Improving the digital skills of children through technology education in primary and lower secondary schools, bridging the skills mismatch and providing relevant training and skills to support individuals’ development for the labour market, and enhancing access to skills trainings and programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises are the objectives for digital skills.

The current Joint Government Digital Strategy runs from 2022 until 2025, encompasses initiatives that address some of the most significant challenges confronting Danish society, such as labour shortage, climate change mitigation, and digital inclusion. The digital society must be accessible to everyone, and the public sector must ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity and capabilities to participate.

The National Strategy for Cyber and Information Security 2022-2024 focuses on ensuring secure ICT operations in government and critical infrastructure, as well as empowering citizens and businesses to navigate the digital realm securely. The strategy consolidates existing efforts through a variety of initiatives. The government has allocated a total of DKK 270 million (EUR 36 million) to 34 initiatives between 2022 and 2024 to implement the strategy and equip Denmark to fend off cyber threats.

The Danish National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence published in 2019 outlines how Denmark can be a leader in the responsible development and application of AI – to the benefit of individuals, enterprises, and society. Strategy focuses on common ethical and human-centred basis for AI, research and develop AI, achieving business growth through developing and using AI and the use AI to offer world-class public services.

National initiatives

Denmark’s Recovery and Resilience plan (RRP) devotes 27% of the total budget to the country’s digital transformation (approximately EUR 382 million). Priority is given to implementing the new digital strategy, extending high-speed rural broadband coverage, improving cybersecurity readiness and the use of AI, further digitalising SMEs and the public administration, with a particular attention to developing digital solutions for the healthcare sector, and boosting R&D. Under Cohesion Policy, an additional EUR 1.9 billion (9% of the country’s total cohesion policy funding) is allocated to the country’s digital transformation. Tax incentives will encourage Danish businesses to accelerate their digital investments, expand rural broadband coverage, and pursue the digitalization of healthcare. A programme for the digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises will support the digitization efforts of lesser businesses. A new digital strategy will further digitalise the public sector and prepare the nation for future challenges in fields like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. In addition, the plan will encourage the development of solutions to retain and reuse personal data by public administrations and increase the proportion of public innovation fostered by public-private partnerships.

ReDI School of Digital Integration is a non-profit coding school for locals and newcomers without access to digital education, with several locations in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.  The tech school was founded on the belief that every person has the right (and should have the opportunity) to realize their maximum potential. Simultaneously, the school combats stereotypes about newcomers to Europe, assisting them in building, transferring, and expanding their qualifications and skills in the digital economy and assisting them in obtaining employment in EU tech start-ups.

Since 2015, the Agency for Digital Government has facilitated a nationwide Network for Digital Inclusion whose main objective is supporting and enhancing digitally challenged residents’ possibilities of participating in the digital society.

The Danish Government Digital Academy was established to provide civil servants with the skills and tools necessary to manage in a public administration that is increasingly digital.

Funding opportunities

Funding opportunities for upskilling and reskilling to support the digital competences of individuals and organizations are available in form of loans, grants and financial instruments. For the period 2021 – 2026 most of the activities in digital transformation are financed through Recovery and Resilience facility but also as activities in Horizon, Erasmus+, ESIF and EEA grant schemes. You may find more on the page of Danish National Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition and in the article on the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.