Labour market flexibility in spain and denmark : a comparison of preferences for flexibility

The Spanish labour market has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe and the idea of making the labour market more flexible has become a key point in the political and economic debate. In the first part of this project I explain the different types of labour market flexibility and identify the main elements of the Danish labour market model (flexicurity model) comparing with the Spanish labour market. In the second part, I analyse the preferences and the perception of job security among Spanish and Danish people to identify the main individual characteristics that are related to those preferences. Finally, I conclude that despite the low employment protection regulation existing in Denmark, Danes feel more secure on their jobs due to the other elements that form the flexicurity model. These are the same elements that reduce the sensation of job security in Spain.