The Danish economy offers a dose of American labor market flexibility inside a European welfare state. The Danish government allows employers a relatively high level of freedom to dismiss workers, but also provides generous unemployment insurance. Widespread union coverage and an active system of collective bargaining help regulate working conditions in the absence of strong government regulation. Denmark's rate of low-wage work--8.5 percent--is the lowest of the five countries under analysis. In Low-Wage Work in Denmark, a team of Danish researchers combines comprehensive national registry data with detailed case studies of five industries to explore why low-end jobs are so different in Denmark. Some jobs that are low-paying in the United States, including hotel maids and meat processors, though still demanding, are much more highly compensated in Denmark. And Danes, unlike American workers, do not stay in low-wage jobs for long. Many go on to higher paying jobs, while a significant minority ends up relying temporarily on income support and benefits sustained by one of the highest tax rates in the world. Low-Wage Work in Denmark provides an insightful look at the particularities of the Danish labor market and the lessons it holds for both the United States and the rest of Europe.

NIELS WESTERGAARD-NIELSEN is professor of economics at the School of Business, University of Aarhus.

About the Authors p. vii Introduction: The Danish Story Robert Solow p. 1 Chapter 1 Low-Wage Work in Denmark Niels Westergaard-Nielsen p. 16 Chapter 2 Statistical Analysis and History of Low-Wage Work in Denmark Niels Westergaard-Nielsen p. 32 Chapter 3 Feeling the Gale or Enjoying a Breeze in the Eye of the Storm? The Consequences of Globalization for Work and Workers in the Danish Food-Processing Industry Lars Esbjerg and Klaus G. Grunert p. 104 Chapter 4 Working in Danish Retailing: Transitional Workers Going Elsewhere, Core Employees Going Nowhere, and Career-Seekers Striving to Go Somewhere Lars Esbjerg and Klaus G. Grunert and Nuka Buck and Anne-Mette Sonne Andersen p. 140 Chapter 5 Restructuring Meets Flexicurity: Housekeeping Work in Danish Hotels Tor Eriksson and Jingkun Li p. 186 Chapter 6 The Upgrading of the Skills of Nursing Assistants and Cleaning Staff in the Danish Public-Sector Hospitals Jacob K. Eskildsen and Ann-Kristina Lokke Nielsen p. 218 Chapter 7 Pay and Job Quality in Danish Call Centers Ole Henning Sorensen p. 258 Index