TY - JOUR

T1 - The flexibility of flexicurity

T2 - The Danish model reconsidered

AU - Jensen, Carsten Strøby

PY - 2011/11

Y1 - 2011/11

N2 - During the last five to ten years, much attention internationally has been focused on the concept of flexicurity, and especially on the Danish model of flexicurity. Some have even talked about the Danish ‘magic formula’ of flexicurity. The Danish flexicurity model has been characterized by a special relation between flexibility, social security and active labour market policy, where a high level of social security is seen as a precondition for a labour market characterized by flexibility. In this article it is argued that the Danish labour market is characterized by having not just one model of flexicurity, but two. These two models cover different parts of the labour market and different segments of employees. The first model (the blue-collar flexicurity model) – the one that is often focused on in the literature – covers primarily skilled and unskilled workers on the labour market. The second model (the white-collar flexicurity model) – one seldom mentioned in the literature – covers primarily employees with middle-range or high-range education and qualifications.

AB - During the last five to ten years, much attention internationally has been focused on the concept of flexicurity, and especially on the Danish model of flexicurity. Some have even talked about the Danish ‘magic formula’ of flexicurity. The Danish flexicurity model has been characterized by a special relation between flexibility, social security and active labour market policy, where a high level of social security is seen as a precondition for a labour market characterized by flexibility. In this article it is argued that the Danish labour market is characterized by having not just one model of flexicurity, but two. These two models cover different parts of the labour market and different segments of employees. The first model (the blue-collar flexicurity model) – the one that is often focused on in the literature – covers primarily skilled and unskilled workers on the labour market. The second model (the white-collar flexicurity model) – one seldom mentioned in the literature – covers primarily employees with middle-range or high-range education and qualifications.

KW - Faculty of Social Sciences

KW - arbejdsmarked, flexicurity, den danske model

U2 - 10.1177/0143831X11401928

DO - 10.1177/0143831X11401928

M3 - Journal article

VL - 32

SP - 721

EP - 737

JO - Economic and Industrial Democracy

JF - Economic and Industrial Democracy

SN - 0143-831X

IS - 4

ER -