A study by Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd (AE), the labour market policy institute, has revealed that domestic production has increased by 30 percent over the past five years. By comparison, the productivity of the other EU countries on average increased by only 10 percent over the same period.

The analysis also showed that total employment in Danish industry has fallen by nearly 22 percent over the same period.

Frederik Pedersen, the chief analyst at AE Council, said that a bare bones approach is one of the reasons that Denmark has fared better through the financial crisis than other countries.

“Things have been cut to the bone, and workflows and processes have been optimised, thus allowing things to be produced significantly more effectively today than in 2008,” Petersen told DR Nyheder.

Back in the big time
Many Danish companies have invested in new technology like robots, which has also helped to strengthen productivity.

“We now have the strongest wage competitiveness we have seen in more than a decade,” said Petersen. 

READ MORE: OECD report: Keep up reforms, but increase productivity

Claus Jensen, the head of Dansk Metal, said the changes have Denmark ready to once again compete in the big leagues.

“Many companies are again able to compete in the world market,” Jensen told DR Nyheder.