Effects on employment

The project as a whole is scheduled to last approximately 10 years. The effect on employment will be relatively modest during the feasibility studies, planning and preparations of the major contracts, i.e. from 2009-2015 (approx. 2,500 man-years). By contrast, the construction phase, between 2015 and 2021, will require a substantial workforce, corresponding to 22,500 –26,000 man-years.

Most jobs on the Danish side
The majority of jobs during the construction phase will be based in Denmark as the tunnel elements will be produced at Rødbyhavn, adjacent to the alignment. It is estimated that around 75% will be based in Denmark, 15% in Germany and the rest in other countries. As the contractors themselves will ultimately be responsible for organising the production and recruiting the workforce, the estimate carries some uncertainty.

The breakdown of jobs into countries only denotes the location of the worksites, not the nationality of the workforce. As with other major construction projects a large percentage of the workforce is expected to consist of itinerant workers.

Many jobs on the German side as well
Most of the sites will be located close to the alignment. At Rødbyhavn, for instance, 3,000 people are expected to be employed at the element factory, the work harbour, the portal and the approach facilities during the peak period of 2015-2021.

On the German side, several of the worksites will be located close to the construction site east of Puttgarden, and an average of 500 people is expected to be employed here during the peak period.

A man-year is a technical term for the number of people required if they were all full-time employees in Denmark. A man-year corresponds to 1,655 hours per year.

The calculation is based on the proposal for the conceptual design announced in November 2010 and the decision to locate production of the tunnel elements at Rødbyhavn. There are some uncertainties attached to the man-year estimates and the breakdown into countries.