COPENHAGEN The Danish government wants the salaries of nurses and caregivers to be increased by several hundred euros per month. Nurses are paid better wages in Denmark than in Finland.
The government hopes that a better salary would attract more workers to the industry. Denmark’s health care is suffering from a shortage of nurses, just like in Finland.
The shortage of nurses also plagues Denmark’s largest and internationally renowned hospital, Rigshospitalet. Among other things, a top soccer player has been brought there for treatment Christian Eriksenwhose heart stopped during the European Championship match between Denmark and Finland in the summer of 2021.
Finnish nurse The fairy tale Gallop has worked at Rigshospitalet for more than ten years and before that at Meilahti Hospital in Helsinki for about the same amount of time. Laukka wishes she had more nursing colleagues. According to Lauka, the labor shortage is especially visible during periods of low tide, for example.
The government proposes to raise salaries by a good 300 euros per month. The government’s wish is that the salaries of a total of more than 200,000 employees will be increased periodically over the next seven years. The government has promised a good 400 million euros to raise wages. In addition to salary, the Danish government wants to improve the working conditions of nurses.
However, how much, by whom and at what rate the salary would be increased will only be decided in tripartite negotiations between public sector trade unions, employers and the government during this fall.
Expert committee: Nurses’ salaries are right
Some of the employees believe that the salary increase will make those who left the industry come back. Still others are of the opinion that the salary increase of a good 300 euros is not enough to attract old or new nurses. According to them, only an increase of around 700 euros would bring more people into the industry.
In the summer of 2023, the salary of the public sector has been clarified expert committee estimates that the salary of nurses in Denmark is about right, taking into account education, responsibility and work experience, as well as shift allowances on top of the basic salary. However, according to the professional association of nurses, especially without supplements, the salary is too low considering the demands of the work and training.
The table below shows the average basic salary of nurses and caregivers in different Nordic countries. asked the countries’ nursing organizations for figures on the average earnings of nurses. Figures do not include shift supplements. Salaries also vary depending on the municipality/hospital district, work experience and personal allowances.
In Finland, the basic salary of a nurse without any kind of allowances is around 2,800 euros, in Denmark a good 5,000 euros. In Denmark, the salary level is generally higher and the income tax is tougher than in Finland. On the average salary of nurses and nurses, the tax rate in Denmark is 34–39 percent.
Satu Laukka reminds that the average cost of living in Denmark is higher than in Finland. Still, a nurse’s wallet in Denmark is slightly thicker than in Finland.
– My husband and I once calculated that I would have about 300–400 euros more in hand per month than in Finland. So not a huge amount, he says.
According to the Danish Nurses’ Association, the salary is too low compared to many other professions.
For example, elementary school teachers who are not university-educated in Denmark earn around 5,800 euros and general practitioners around 7,400 euros per month.
More full-time work
The Danish government also hopes that there would be more full-time work in the care sector than is currently the case.
Laukkakin says that many of his colleagues – often parents of small children – work a shorter work week than usual.
In addition, the government is concerned by the fact that the number of applicants to the nursing and teaching fields has dropped by a quarter since 2019. According to the new education plan, for example, practical teaching and opportunities for specialization and further training must be added to education in the fields of nursing and teaching.
If it’s a quieter moment, you can take a breather
According to Satu Lauka, more important than a salary increase would be the flexibility of working hours.
What Laukka misses from ten years ago in Finland was that work shift lists were largely made listening to the wishes of the employees. Today, however, practices vary in Finland according to situations and welfare areas, and there have been problems in planning work shifts. According to Tehy, hospitals usually try to consider the wishes of employees as best as possible.
In Denmark, nurses have to work every other weekend at the beginning of their career. If there is another program during the working weekend, the employee must try to switch shifts with a colleague. When a little experience is gained, employees can start doing 12-hour shifts on weekends and thus accumulate more weekend days off.
Otherwise, according to Lauka, working in Denmark is more relaxed than in Finland. The staff also takes a relaxed approach to unexpected situations and trusts that everything will be sorted out. In Lauka’s opinion, you can have a good conscience in Denmark even when you are idle for a while.
– If there was a slightly calmer moment in Finland, you always had to do something, go roll socks in the warehouse or something. Here you can really catch your breath and have a little hygge, so to speak. So when that chaos and rush comes again, we are more relaxed.