Temp agency or recruitment agency in Denmark? How they differ, how they charge and what the law says

Most Danish companies use both models sooner or later: a temp to cover a busy season, a recruiter for a role that should last for years. They solve different problems and are regulated differently. This guide explains how each works in Denmark, what you pay for, and the legal points that matter when you use them.

The short version

	Temp agency (vikarbureau)	Recruitment agency (rekrutteringsbureau)
Who employs the worker	The agency	Your company
Who directs the daily work	Your company	Your company
Pay, holiday pay and pension	Handled by the agency	Handled by you
What you pay for	An hourly rate for the hours worked	A fee for finding and screening the candidate
Typical use	Seasonal peaks, cover, uncertain volume	Permanent roles and key positions
When it ends	When the assignment ends, under your agreement with the agency	Under the normal notice rules for your own employee

How temp staffing works

Temp work is a triangle. The agency (vikarbureau) employs the temp (vikar) and hires them out to your company, which the law calls the user company (brugervirksomhed). You plan and supervise the work; the agency pays the wage and handles holiday pay, pension and the employment paperwork. The hourly rate you pay covers the wage, those costs and the agency's margin.

That makes temps the flexible option. You can add people for a harvest, a summer season or a Christmas peak and stop again when the work stops, without hiring and then letting go of your own staff.

Equal treatment

The Danish Temporary Agency Work Act (vikarloven) sets a floor. The agency must ensure that a temp has at least the conditions that would apply if your company had employed them directly for the same work, including pay, working time, overtime, breaks, rest periods, holiday and public holidays (section 3(1)).

The rule does not apply if the agency is covered by, or has acceded to, a collective agreement concluded by the most representative social partners in Denmark (section 3(5)). In that case the agreement sets the terms. When you compare offers, ask each agency whether it is covered by such an agreement. If it is not, expect the temp's pay to follow your own terms for the same job, and include that in your comparison.

How recruitment works

With recruitment, the agency's job ends when the candidate signs with you. The agency defines the profile with you, searches, interviews and checks candidates and presents a shortlist. You choose and employ. From the first day the person is your employee, on your contract and your payroll, and the usual employment rules apply, including written terms of employment within the deadlines of the act on employment terms: seven calendar days for the core terms and one month for the rest.

You pay for the recruitment itself. The fee and the model behind it, such as a fixed fee, a success fee or a replacement guarantee, vary between agencies, so get it in writing before work starts.

Temp first, permanent later

Many hires start as a temp assignment and become permanent once both sides know it works. The law protects that route. An agency cannot enforce clauses that prohibit or in practice prevent you from employing the temp after the assignment (section 4). The agency may receive reasonable payment for its services in connection with the assignment, hiring and training of the temp, and it may not charge the temp anything for being hired by you. If you think you may want to keep someone, agree the terms for a conversion before the assignment starts.

How long can an assignment last? The June 2026 Supreme Court rulings

On 18 June 2026 the Supreme Court (Højesteret) decided a case about three agency temps placed with two user companies (case BS-60017/2024-HJR). It is the clearest answer so far to a question many companies ask.

• Two temps had worked about two years on assignments that were extended seven times. The court found an objective explanation, because the IT function they worked in was being phased out on an uncertain timetable, so the assignments were still temporary.
• One temp had worked three and a half years on an assignment that was extended four times, and the agency had no written documentation of why. That assignment was not temporary. The agency had to pay notice pay and sick pay under the Salaried Employees Act and DKK 25,000 in compensation.

The court also held that temps covered by the Temporary Agency Work Act are not at the same time salaried employees under funktionærloven, and that neither the length of an assignment nor the number of extensions decides the question on its own. What counts is a concrete assessment: the total duration must not exceed what can reasonably be considered temporary, and it must be explained by an objective need.

In practice: write down why you need a temp and why you extend, and make sure the temp knows the purpose of the assignment.

Using a foreign contractor or agency

If a foreign company does construction, agriculture, forestry, horticulture, gardening or cleaning work for you in Denmark, you must see documentation that it is registered in the Register of Foreign Service Providers (RUT). If you have not seen it within three days after the work starts, you must notify Arbejdstilsynet, the Danish Working Environment Authority. Failing to notify can be fined DKK 10,000. If you use a foreign agency, ask for its RUT receipt before the first day.

Which should you choose?

Choose a temp agency when:

• the need is seasonal or tied to a peak, such as harvest, summer service or Christmas
• you need cover at short notice, for illness, holidays or a sudden order
• you do not yet know how long the need will last

Choose a recruitment agency when:

• the role is permanent and central to how you work
• you want the person on your own contract, culture and training plan from day one

Combine them when you want to see someone work before you commit: temp first, then hire, on terms agreed up front.

Questions to ask any agency

1. Who is the legal employer, and who pays holiday pay and pension?
2. Are you covered by a collective agreement, and which one?
3. How do you screen candidates, and what do you check before we meet them?
4. What happens if someone does not turn up or leaves early?
5. What does it cost to convert a temp to a permanent employee?
6. If you are a foreign company, can we see your RUT receipt?
7. Can we have the price and the terms in writing before anything starts?

How Clever Recruiting works

Clever Recruiting (CR Recruiting Group ApS, CVR 46664426) staffs Danish companies in transport, farming, hospitality, construction, mechanics and cleaning, for temporary cover, seasonal peaks and permanent hires. Every candidate is interviewed and checked against your actual terms before you see a name, and you get a clear, written quote before anything starts.

Tell us what you need