Periods of Notice on the Danish Labour Market
Last year, a survey which was ordered by the Ministry of Labour of the German
Land, Nordrhein-Westfalen, compares the workplaces in Denmark, Germany, Holland
and England – and Denmark scored top results in the comparison of
“Flexicurity” – i.e. the ability to combine social security and
flexibility on the labour market.
The degree of social security which is embedded in the Danish system of
unemployment benefits means that the Danes are more willing to change jobs than
many of their European colleagues, who remain in the same positions for 25-30
years. This equips the Danish labour market to deal with the challenges of the
future.
At the same time, EU-surveys have shown that Danish workers feel the
highest degree of job security – compared to their European colleagues.
Below, you will find a table showing the periods of notice of the Danish
labour market. They are among the shortest in Europe. On the other hand, Danes
on low wages losing their jobs receive higher unemployment benefits than their
European colleagues.
Notice Periods:
|
After 1 year’s employment |
After 5 year’s employment |
After 10 year’s employment |
Share of the workforce employed in the private sector
|
|
Construction workers
|
3 days |
5 days |
5 days |
Approx. 10%
|
|
Industrial workers, transport workers, etc. |
21 days |
2 months |
3 months |
Approx. 40%
|
|
Salaried employees
|
3 months |
4 months |
6 months |
Approx. 50% |
The Danish system creates a flexible labour market. Danish companies are
more willing to hire new employees in times of economic revival than their
European competitors, who have trouble letting off workers when the economy goes
downhill again.
LO is generally satisfied with the Danish periods of notice because they
are combined with a fair system of unemployment benefits which ensures that laid
off workers need not be thrown out of their houses just because they lose their
jobs. At the same time, in Denmark, we have introduced several labour market
policy initiatives that ensure training and retraining for the unemployed, thus
giving them the opportunity to get back into employment quickly.
There is a tendency that the
periods of notice of the general agreements are mowing towards the periods of notice of
the salaried employees. In the area of building and construction, in particular, the periods
of notice are very short. Amongst other things, this is due to
the fact that construction workers want to be able to leave their workplace
with equally short notices of resignation as the employers' notice of termination.