Denmark : the explosion of temp work changes the structure of the labour market

Same legislation for temp staff as for ordinary employees.  Karin Retvig, chairwoman of the union HK Privat (157,000 members) declared to JP, “People are increasingly leaving fixed employment for temporary work. But many temp workers are not paying pension contributions and don’t have the same entitlements as ordinary employees such parental leave, etc.  If we don’t solve this question within the framework of collective agreements, temp employees will continue to be a cheap and flexible workforce for employers”.  Gitte Elling, director of the Danish branch of Adecco, retorted that many interim workers already have better conditions for retirement and notice of dismissal, emphasizing that, for many young people, the temp approach is a good way to test the job market. 
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

onwide a record of 556 involving 48,000 people. Whereas in 1999 interim employees represented only 0.3% of an overall total of 2.2 million, they now account for 1.7% of the 2.2 million Danish workforces. While this trend concerns all sectors, it marks in particular industrial production, the building sector, administrative personnel, business and health services. According to AE, this hike is partly due to the favourable state of the economy and to a structural trend toward the development of t

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
Seven major companies offer training to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence
L’Oréal, Engie, LVMH, Publicis, Accor and Orange are encouraging their staff to take part in the Safe Spaces training programme on domestic and sexual violence, developed by insurance...
10 November 2025
Romania: collective agreement extended to entire insurance sector
On 3 November, Romania’s National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue approved the extension of the collective labour agreement signed on 23 May by the Confederation of Employers in the...
United Kingdom largely retained within scope of EWCs despite Brexit, study shows
A study published this month by the Institute for Economic and Social Research, the French trade union research organisation, examined how the involvement of British representatives in European...
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Germany: pensioners in work already common practice, study shows
As the German government steps up measures to encourage people to stay in work beyond the legal retirement age, a new study by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI) – an independent...
2
Spain: government approves creation of ‘intern status’
The Spanish government has paved the way for the creation of a new status for "persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies, institutions or public or private organisations...
3
France: social conference on labour and pensions to proceed without main employers’ group
The preparatory meeting ahead of the social conference on labour and pensions, which is set to decide on the pension system model and the funding thereof, was held on 4 November at France's labour...
4
Luxembourg: two pension reform bills submitted to parliament
After lengthy negotiations with the social partners, in mid-October the Luxembourg government submitted two bills to parliament aimed at reforming the pension system to ensure its long-term...
5
Candice Guillot (Talan): “Our recruiters save just over 80 hours per year on administrative tasks thanks to AI”
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...