Facebook scraps huge plans in Denmark

Hundreds of people have lost their jobs following Meta’s decision to halt construction of data centres in Odense

Dec 15, 2022

Meta, the company behind social media behemoth Facebook, has decided to scrap plans to build two big data centres in Odense.

The decision, which was conveyed to contractor Per Aarsleff on Tuesday night, has resulted in hundreds of people losing their jobs with immediate effect.

“It came out of the blue. We’ve laid the foundation, sewage, cables, buildings for workers, cantine and a parking area for 1,000 cars,” Søren Lange, a project manager for subcontractor PM Group, told TV2 Fyn.

“Now the site must be cleared and all the employees will lose their jobs.”

Meta focusing elsewhere
Many of the workers have moved to Odense from abroad to work on the project and now face having no job and risk being sent home.

The agreement with Per Aarsleff was only signed in August in a deal worth 2.4 billion kroner.

Meta already has two data centres in the Odense area, with a third being constructed.

“It’s a real shame with the lost jobs, but those are the conditions when big tech companies want to build in Odense. And Facebook isn’t leaving Odense as they still have two big data centres here,” said a local politician, Søren Windell.

Meta has explained that it is scrapping its plans because it wants to spend more resources in other areas of its business, including artificial intelligence (AI), which will require a different type of data centre.

TOP STORIES

Danish politicians will double life science exports in a few years

“Strategy for life science” is a policy agreement to support the pharmaceutical industry’s opportunities to double exports to DKK 350 billion towards 2030
Royal House unveils new portraits of King Frederik and Queen Mary

Ten months after Frederik went from crown prince to king, new civil portraits of the new royal couple have been taken.
“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.
Denmark’s green transition is world class – according to the global climate index

No country has an ambitious enough climate policy to be awarded first, second or third place in global climate policy. Denmark holds 4th-place ranking in the Climate Change Performance Index
“Now the biggest challenge is to retain internationals”, says Ferring

Mads Hougaard, senior HR director at the pharmaceutical company, explains that “it is also a challenge for society itself. I think collaboration between institutions, companies, and stakeholders could be beneficial.”
“How on earth do you learn all those lines?”

This is the question actors are often asked. Actors dread it because they always hope that their performance was what mattered most, not the mechanics of getting there

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

5 Dec: A guided tour of Christiansborg

Career

“Without internationals, we wouldn’t have the people we need,” says Fujifilm

Fujifilm’s Hillerød facility thrives with a diverse workforce, employing over 1,800 people from more than 65 nationalities. Morten Munk, Director of Global Alliance Management, highlights how the company’s rapid growth relies on attracting international talent due to Denmark’s limited pool of scientific professionals.
“Now the biggest challenge is to retain internationals”, says Ferring

Mads Hougaard, senior HR director at the pharmaceutical company, explains that “it is also a challenge for society itself. I think collaboration between institutions, companies, and stakeholders could be beneficial.”
Only 0.3% of people enrolled in the tax course are unemployed, Københavns Professionshøjskole says

According to a screening conducted by Københavns Professionshøjskole (KP) among its graduates, those with the highest chance of success in finding a job are tax specialists: after graduation, only 0.3% of people enrolled in the tax course are unemployed. Very close to them are the professionals who graduated in Midwifery (with 0.4% unemployment).

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Jobs