EN
Among the results of the crisis which took place in Denmark in the early 1990s were a huge excess of labour sup¬ply and increased expenditure on counteracting the effects of rising unemployment. In the face of growing economic problems, the Danish government decided to implement a flexicurity policy. The main elements of the policy included: (1) flexible rules for hiring and dismissing employees, (2) a system of social security in the event of loss of employment, and (3) active labour market policies. The Danish policy of activation of the unemployed is characterised by an individualised approach to job seekers, and the assumption that they have the right and obligation to participate in activation programmes. All persons without a job are eligible for receiving aid under employment stimulation schemes, re¬gardless of whether they are entitled to unemployment benefits. Denmark is the European leader in terms of the share of GDP devoted to labour market programmes. In the years 2002-2011, an average of EUR 7,685.48 million, (3.28% of the country’s GDP) was spent on the implementa¬tion of labour market programmes in Denmark. Greater flexibility in establishing and resolving employment relationships increases the risk of loss of employment, but also allows one to quickly re-enter the labour market. As a result, the labour market policy applied by Denmark has signifi¬cantly reduced the unemployment rate: from 7% in 1995 to 3.4% in 2008. Denmark is among the countries with the lowest rate of long-term unemployment, which in the years 1995-2012 averaged 1.1%. It is also a country with one of the highest employ¬ment rates in Europe for people aged 20-64. In the years 2000-2011, it amounted to an average of 77.8%, which was well above the average employment rate calculated for the EU-27 (68.17%).