Improving the Re-employment Prospects of Displaced Workers
Job displacement (involuntary job loss due to firm closure or downsizing) affects
many workers over the course of their working lives. Displaced workers may face long
periods of unemployment and, even when they find new jobs, tend to be paid less than
in the jobs they held prior to displacement. Helping displaced workers get back into
good jobs quickly should be a key goal of labour market policy. This report is the
sixth in a series of reports looking at how this challenge is being tackled in a number
of OECD countries. It shows that Denmark has effective policies in place to quickly
assist people who are losing their jobs, in terms of both providing good re-employment
support and securing adequate income in periods of unemployment. Despite a positive
institutional framework, a sound collaboration between social partners and a favourable
policy set-up, there is room to improve policies targeted to displaced workers as
not every worker in Denmark can benefit from the same amount of support. In particular,
workers affected by collective dismissals in larger firms receive faster and better
support than those in small firms or involved in small or individual dismissals. Blue-collar
workers are also treated less favourably than white-collar workers. More generally,
low-skilled and older displaced workers struggle most to re-enter the labour market.