Flexicurity in Denmark: A Model for Labour Market Reforms in the EU?

The fundamental idea behind the concept of flexicurity is that flexibility and security are not contradictory to one another, but in many situations can be mutually supportive. Flexibility is not the monopoly of the employers, just as security is not the monopoly of the employees. In modern labour markets, many employers are beginning to realize that they might have an interest in stable employment relations and in retaining employees who are loyal and well qualified. On their part, many employees have realized that to be able to adjust their work life to more individual preferences, they, too, have an interest in more flexible ways of organizing work; for example, to balance work and family life. So, the foundation is there for a new interaction between flexibility and security that stresses the potential for win—win outcomes in situations that are traditionally conceived as characterized by conflicting interests. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.