Labour market flexibility and security

From the research done under the flexicurity project it has become clear that flexibility and security on the labour market continue to be key concerns. There is a continuous pressure from the Commission, governments and employers for more flexibility to improve competitiveness. At the same time, trade unions and individual employees increasingly call for 'worker-friendly' forms of flexibility to allow for a better balance between work and non-work activities. A constant stream of new and not-so-new concepts is forwarded to package and these pressures and policies to achieve flexibility. These concepts are increasingly accompanied by arguments claiming that it is possible to create win-win situations in which increase flexibility to the favour of employers can be combined with favourable elements for employees as well, be it through worker friendly types of flexibility, the improvements of skills or increased security. Again, our flexicurity project has shown that such arguments should be examined with caution.