FOA

What FOA does

FOA is one of Denmark's largest trade unions and unemployment insurance funds (a-kasse), founded in 1899 and serving approximately 163,065 members as of 2025 across three occupational segments: social and health, pedagogical, and service/technical workers. The organization represents employees in municipalities, regions, and private employers in these sectors, with Mona Striib serving as Forbundsformand (Union President). It operates through a federated structure of 30 local branches distributed across Denmark, supported by sub-brands including FOA SOSU (~15,000 members), FOA Ungdom (youth wing), Lederforeningen (managers), FOA 1, LFS, and PMF.

The organization's service delivery rests on a member-facing technology stack that includes the public website foa.dk, the Mit FOA self-service portal, a secure Min post messaging inbox, and FOA JobMatch, a labor-market matching platform. Member benefits extend beyond core union representation and statutory unemployment insurance to include professional training, legal assistance in labor disputes, and integrated commercial offerings such as the PlusKort retail discount program (delivered via the jointly owned Fagbevægelsens Fordelsprogram A/S) and PenSam-linked health and pension schemes.

FOA is structured as a non-profit, member-owned organization. Primary revenue is reported at 554,046 thousand DKK for 2025 (approximately USD 80 million), generated substantially through per-member union and a-kasse dues. The organization also engages in political and public advocacy on labor-market and welfare policy and runs member engagement initiatives such as the annual Fagenes Dage festival. Recent strategic emphasis has been on expanding membership (notably 40,000+ part-time members onboarded after a 2024 EU court ruling on a-kasse eligibility), digital channel development, and cross-union commercial partnerships.

Name

FOA

Legal name

FOA

Website

https://foa.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

FOA is a Danish trade union and unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse), founded in 1899, serving about 163,000 members across social-health, pedagogical, and service/technical occupations through 30 local branches and digital member portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FOA is a Danish trade union and unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse) serving approximately 163,065 members across the social-health, pedagogical, and service/food/technical/emergency sectors. It delivers integrated membership services including collective bargaining representation, legal aid on employment matters, unemployment benefits, job matching, continued education grants, discount programs, and access to 30 local branch offices throughout Denmark.

Product overview

FOA (Fag og Akasse) is a Danish trade union and unemployment insurance fund organized as a single national federation with approximately 30 local union branches. The organization offers two core integrated services: (1) FOA Fagforening — trade union representation, collective bargaining, and legal assistance for workers in the social/health, pedagogical, and service/catering/technical/emergency sectors; and (2) FOAs A-kasse — unemployment insurance covering benefits, job search support, and early retirement. The digital member platform (Mit FOA) is accessed via FOA-login or MitID and provides services including Min post (digital mailbox), FOA JobMatch (job matching), Din overenskomst (collective agreement access), and various self-service forms. Member benefits include PlusKort discounts, PenSam health schemes, legal aid, competence fund grants (up to 30,000 DKK), and a parental leave calculator. Sub-brands include FOA SOSU (social and health sector division, ~15,000 members in Copenhagen), FOA Ungdom (youth organization), Lederforeningen (managers' association), and FOA 1 (technical sector local branch). The union also organizes the annual Fagenes Dage festival and maintains a member panel (MedlemsPulsen) for surveys.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOA SOSU: Local trade union branch serving social and health sector workers in Copenhagen area
• FOA 1
• LFS
• PMF

Products and services

• FOA Fagforening (Trade Union Services) FOA's core trade union service offering, providing union representation, collective bargaining negotiation, legal advice on employment matters, and representation for workers in social, educational, and service sectors across Denmark.
• FOAs A-kasse (Unemployment Insurance) FOA's unemployment insurance fund (A-kasse) offering unemployment benefits (dagpenge), early retirement (efterløn), job search support, and retraining assistance for members.
• Min post (Digital Mailbox) FOA's secure digital post system enabling members to receive and send encrypted digital correspondence with FOA, including documents, notifications, and messages from the union and unemployment insurance fund.
• PlusKort (Member Discount Program) A member discount and benefits program offering cash discounts on everyday purchases, insurance, leisure activities, and experiences, powered by Fagbevægelsens Fordelsprogram A/S.
• FOA Job / FOA JobMatch Job matching and job search service that notifies members of relevant job openings matching their skills and experience, with the option to transfer CV from Jobnet.
• Juridisk hjælp (Legal Assistance) Legal support services for members covering workplace injuries, illness, dismissal, and employment-related legal matters.
• Kompetencefonde (Competence Funds) Continuing education funding providing up to 30,000 DKK for professional development and skill enhancement within members' fields.
• Sundhedsordning (Health Scheme via PenSam) A health benefit program offering up to 12 paid treatments including physiotherapy, psychology, and chiropractic services, administered through PenSam pension fund.
• FOA SOSU (Social and Health Sector Division) A local union division within FOA serving social and health sector workers in 18 Copenhagen-area municipalities and the Capital Region of Denmark, serving approximately 15,000 members.
• FOA Ungdom (FOA Youth) FOA's youth organization representing and advocating for members under 31, organizing annual meetings and campaigns on workplace conditions, education, wages, and work environment.
• Lederforeningen (Manager Association) FOA's association for managers and leaders within the union's sectors, offering professional development, networking events, and leadership webinars.
• Fagenes Dage (Annual Professional Festival) An annual festival and professional expo organized by FOA featuring lectures, workshops, live music, and entertainment, held in October for members across Denmark.
• Barselsberegner (Parental Leave Calculator) An online parental leave planning tool that helps members calculate entitlements and create a personalized parental leave plan, including rights and deadlines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 659 million DKK recovered in work injury compensations for members in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HK Danmark: Danish trade union for white-collar service and commercial workers, with similar A-kasse integration and member-funded model. Comparable in structure, services (legal aid, wage negotiation, unemployment insurance), and Danish geographic focus.
• Dansk Metal: Danish trade union for metalworking and technical workers, offering similar combined trade union + A-kasse services. Comparable in service breadth, advocacy model, and member-funded revenue structure.
• Danmarks Lærerforening (DLF): Danish teachers' union with similar collective bargaining, legal aid, and member benefit model. Comparable structure as a Danish sector-based professional union.
• 3F (Fagligt Fælles Forbund): Denmark's largest trade union, organized as a general workers' federation covering blue-collar workers across multiple sectors. Directly comparable to FOA as a Danish sector-based union with integrated A-kasse services and similar revenue model (membership fees).
• Akademikerne: Danish umbrella organization representing academic professional unions. Comparable as a higher-tier Danish union structure, though focused on university-educated professionals rather than social/health workers.
• BUPL (Pædagogisk personale): Danish union for pedagogues, competing with FOA's LFS and PMF divisions for pedagogical workers. Highly relevant direct peer due to overlapping membership segments in the pedagogical sector.

Regional players

• LO (Landsorganisationen i Sverige): Swedish Trade Union Confederation serving as an umbrella for blue-collar unions. Comparable as a Nordic counterpart to FOA's confederation structure, though focused on industrial and private-sector workers rather than public-sector social/health roles.
• Unionen (Sweden): Sweden's largest trade union covering white-collar private sector workers. Comparable in structure, integrated unemployment insurance (a-kassa equivalent), and member-funded model, though operating in the Swedish market rather than Denmark.

Broad incumbents

• ver.di (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft): Germany's largest services sector trade union, covering health, social services, and public-sector workers — segments that overlap with FOA's core sectors. Comparable as a large multi-sector services union, though operating in Germany.
• TUC (Trades Union Congress): UK national trade union federation representing affiliated unions. Comparable in role as a national-level union coordinating body and as a comparable organizational structure, though at a federation level rather than single-union focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/foa.foa1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries31 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FOA