Flexicurity and the life-course: Labour market integration over the life-course in different European welfare state regimes

The debate on ‘flexicurity’ is currently high on the European employment and social
policy agenda. The concept originally referred to the Danish employment strategy of the
nineties, marked by relatively high levels of labour market flexibility combined with
relatively high (short-term) unemployment benefits and a broad array of activation and
temporary leave programmes. However, the concept has since been applied to varying
narratives built around the nexus of labour market flexibility, employment security and
social protection.