The commute to work up until 2015
The Öresund commute to work has increased sharply since 2000. According to the Labour statistics based on administrative sources from Statistics Denmark and Statistics Sweden, commuting to work increased from 3 300 persons in 2000 to 9 500 persons in November of 2005. During these five years commuting has increased by an average of 1 200 persons or 23 percent a year.
The increase has probably been even higher during 2006 and 2007. According to Öresund Bridge traffic calculations, over 15 000 work commuters travelled by bridge in November 2007 (using the same definition in both Sweden and Denmark to describe commuting between municipalities). It is estimated that as many as 1 100 commuted to work at the same time via ferries between Helsingør-Helsingborg. This is based on a projection from the Labour statistics based on administrative sources over commuting from Ørestat for commuting between municipalities in north-western Skåne and the former Frederiksberg’s County.
- Commuting across Öresund to work 1997 to 2015 . Forecast 2008-2015 .
Source: Ørestat and Øresund’s Bridge traffic calculations. Footnote: The forecast is a projection of commuting statistics from Ørestat, based on the annual rate of increase in the commuter traffic forecast for the Øresund Bridge and a linear projection of the commuting between Helsingør and Helsingborg.
The latest traffic forecast from the Øresund Bridge estimates that commuting across the bridge will increase by 9.7 percent on average annually up to 2015. In one Ørestat projection of the commuter statistics a total of 40 000 persons are expected to commute to work across Øresund by 2015. This projection was based on the Øresund Bridge’s traffic calculations for southern Øresund and for commuting through Helsingör and Helsingborg concerning years 2000-2005. Some 1 700 of these commuted via Helsingør-Helsingborg.
That commuting will reach these levels over the next eight years presumes that the sharp increase in commuting seen in recent years will continue. In support of this view, Denmark appears to be en route towards a long-term period of structural shortage of manpower and therefore will attract labour resources from Sweden. A big differences in housing prices between Öresund SE and Öresund DK will probably decrease, but for the relative long term it will still be economically advantageous for many Danes to live in Skåne and commute to work in Denmark.
