The labour market situation of older workers in Denmark

This chapter sets the scene for the book’s later discussions by examining the prospects for older workers in the context of the flexicurity model that characterises the functioning of the labour market in Denmark. It begins with a summary of indicators and a scoreboard that compares the country’s labour market situation with those of other EU and OECD countries. The effectiveness of active labour market programmes is assessed in relation to adjustments made necessary by stress factors, most notably the 2007 financial crisis. Employment rates for older people are presented – with findings from both register-based and labour force survey data – as well as unemployment rates, with special mention of the category “neither employed nor completely retired”. Various aspects of older workers’ low labour market mobility are then discussed.