Unemployment benefits
You can receive unemployment benefit in Denmark if you are a member of a recognised unemployment insurance fund (“A-kasse”) for at least 1 year, and you are out of work at the same time.
You can join the a-kasse as a student if:
- You have had a permanent address in Denmark no later than one day before the start of your education.
- You are in Denmark no later than 14 days (including weekends) after you end your education, i.e. you must apply for membership within two weeks (14 days) of completing your education.
- Your education lasts at least 18 months
If you sign up for an unemployment insurance fund at least one year before you finish your programme you will be able to receive unemployment benefit from the first month as unemployed. If you however sign up for an unemployment benefit insurance fund later than one year before you finish you will have a deferred period for one month where you will not receive any unemployment benefit.
If you don’t sign up during your studies and you still want to receive unemployment benefit you must sign up no later than two weeks after you graduated.
Normally you don’t pay for your membership while you are studying.
An unemployment benefit period gives you entitlement to benefit for 2 years within a maximum period of 3 years, and with the possibility to extend the period with benefits by 1 year (1 hours of work = 2 hours more benefit. This can be used after the initial 2 years period has expired).
The amount you get depends on whether you have dependent children or not. You have dependent children, if you have the obligation to contribute to a child (or children) under 18 years who are staying in Denmark. Are you EU / EEA citizen, you are considered also as a parent if the child resides in an EU / EEA country. Stepchildren do not count in this context.
If you have dependent children you can get DKK 15,279 pr. month in unemployment benefits. If you don’t have dependent children – then you can get DKK 13,323 pr. month.
Job fairs
Participating in a job fair might get you closer to your dream job. Most of educational institution offer their students a job fair where both local companies as well as national companies participate.
The Career Days is the largest job and career fair in Denmark. Each year in March – well before you graduate – you can meet 150 Danish and national companies in Aarhus, Aalborg, Copenhagen and Odense. The companies are searching for highly qualified students and newly graduated – this might be your chance: https://www.karrieredagene.dk/en/