Danish Flexicurity - A Role Model, but what is there to Copy?

- The Case of Fixed-term, Agency, and Visiting Workers

Paper by Trine P. Larsen, Jens Arnholtz Hansen & Nana Wesley Hansen

In recent years, the Danish flexicurity model has become a role model for Europe and individual countries due to its ability to unite high levels of numerical flexibility with generous social security and extensive labour market policies. This paper examines the extent to which the model covers all employees, particularly the most flexible workers on the Danish Labour market such as fixed-term, agency and visiting workers. It argues that such groups of employees working conditions in terms of 1) wages 2) working time 3) quality of jobs 4) access to further training, and 5) social security often lack behind their peers in permanent positions. These findings do indeed question the attractiveness of the Danish flexicurity model, even if it in a comparative perspective in some instance appears to perform better in terms of offering higher levels of security for fixed-term, agency and visiting workers than other European member states.

Paper to the IIRA World Congress, Copenhagen, June 28th to July 1st 2010