Employment is high in Kolding. 32,000 have jobs. That is almost 97 per cent of the total manpower.

The main businesses are:
Iron and metal industries (stainless steel)
Dyestuff and enamel paint industries
Packing industry
Fibre glass industry
Wholesale business
Transport and shipping
Electronics
Foodstuffs
IT and service
Hotels and restaurations
The City Council of Kolding has elected to outsource its business promoting management to Business Kolding Due to this division of labour information on tourism, commerce and bussines can be found the website of Business Kolding.

Large steel sector
Today the stainless steel sector in the Kolding area is the largest single industry with 2,800 jobs. The Triangle Area (Vejle-Fredericia-Kolding) has the large number of subsupplier companies within this branch of industry in Northern Europe.

Within the dyestuff and enamel paint industries well-known industries such a Dyryp, Flügger, Teknos are situated in the Kolding area, while the packing industry is represented by large companies such as Smurfit Kappa Danmark A/S and Polimoon Holmia.

Traditionally Kolding has always had a large wholesale business. Its importance has been strengthened during recent years due to the geographical situation of the area. Among the largest wholesale companies are Würth and Schou.

Forwarding agencies
With the increased export trade the importance of the transport and forwarding agency sector has grown in recent years. Here are both companies of local origin and subsidiaries of national and international forwarding agencies

The geographical position of Kolding has had great significance on the growth within the transport sector, as the motorways and railway lines between Scandinavia and the other parts of Europe pass directly through Kolding.

Internationalisation
The Kolding area traditionally has always had a large export trade. It started in the medival times, when live oxen were driven from Nothern Jutland to Kolding, which in those days was the border town to the Duchy of Schleswig.

The position as an export city has been maintained and expanded in spite of the fact that the border has been relocated. Today it is estimated that 75% of all commodities produced in the area are exported. This export share is twice as high as the country average.

Many other lines of business are characterized by foreign trade. Many wholesale companies – mainly importers – contribute towards giving international life to the area together with the many forwarding agencies and conference hotels.

The international character is also reflected in the owner structure of the companies. During the last 24 years a very large part of the ownership of companies in the area have passed to foreigners.

Today 35 per cent of all industrial jobs are on foreign hands compared to 20 per cent on a national basis. The largest foreign investments originate from Sweden, USA and Germany.

Industry was the first target for foreign investors, but in recent years also foreign wholesale and transport companies have established themselves in the Kolding area through company buy up or new establishments.

Cooperation between business and educations
The need for employees with good language skills and international understanding is covered by postgraduates from the business schools of Kolding, mainly the IBC and The University of Southern Denmark. Many of the students of the two schools are stationed abroad during the course of their education and thereby gain international experience.

There is tradition for good cooperation between the business companies and the many institutes of education in Kolding. Already in the elder classes of the secondary school the children have the opportunity to learn how it is to have a job during work experience periods This makes the choice of future education and job easier for the children.

A large number of educations have been established by virtue of the cooperation with the business community. Both within eductation in technical subjects and design as well as marketing, economics, management and organisation and attach importance to meeting the requirements of the business life to recruit well-educated manpower and to further educate employees.

Wide range of educations
The Business Academy of Kolding offers a wide range of more advanced mercantile studies and individual courses besides the upper-secondary business school.

The University of Southern Denmark, which has faculties in Odense, Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Kolding, offers education in foreign languages, sales, accounting, organisation and management. The university is very internationally oriented and also teaches a large number of foreign students.

One of Denmark’s two design schools is situated in Kolding. Designskolen Kolding is by many considered to be the leading Danish design school. A large number of acknowledged Danish artists and industrial designers are employed as visiting teachers. The creative environment around the school rubs off on the cultural events in the municipality, and both the citizens of Kolding and business companies have had the much pleasure of the close cooperation with Designskolen Kolding. Good design plays a more and more important role in the engineering of new industrially produced products.

In the Kolding area a considerable number of possibilities of further educations of employees within cleaning, technology, transportation, building activities, metal industry and much more in cooperation with the management and labour sides of the industries.

The technical institutes of education embrace widely and also include the theoretical part of subjects such as animal husbandry, hairdressing, cooking and waitering. There is an independent hotel and restaurant school in the area. Technical schools and adult vocational training centres offer connected education courses and individual courses for companies with special requirements for supplementary training of present and new employees in preparation for entering into new production processes.
The education institutes of the Kolding area consider themselves a living part of the business life within the area and like the companies they are continuously developing.