flexicuritymodellen

Flexicuritymodellen, or the flexicurity model, refers to a labor market framework that aims to reconcile the needs of employers for flexible hiring and firing with the security of workers and the welfare state's social protections. The model seeks to create dynamic job creation while limiting the social and economic costs of transitions between jobs.

Its core components include four interrelated pillars: flexible labor markets characterized by ease of hiring and firing; strong social security and unemployment insurance; active labor market policies that help displaced workers retrain and find new jobs; and a cooperative system of wage bargaining and social partners that share responsibility for labor market outcomes. In practice, Denmark is widely cited as the archetype, combining a flexible labor market with generous unemployment benefits and high investment in active measures such as retraining and job-search support.

Impact and evaluation: Access to quick unemployment benefits fosters risk-taking by workers. The model is credited with high employment rates and adaptability, but critics point to dependence on strong institutions, the risk of insecurity for non-standard workers, and the challenge of exporting the model to countries with different bargaining traditions and welfare states. The concept has influenced EU labor policy and reforms in other countries, though implementations vary greatly.

See also: related topics include active labor market policies, unemployment insurance, and collective bargaining, which together underpin the balance between labor market flexibility and social protection in the flexicurity approach.