Danish seniors want to stay in the workforce but lack flexible options

A new proposal from Denmark’s Faglige Seniorer (Trade Union Seniors) aims to keep older workers in the labour market by introducing a 15-hour workweek exemption for early retirees, DR reports.

Between 41 and 53 percent of seniors across all pension schemes would have stayed employed longer if offered more flexible arrangements, according to a survey by Faglige Seniorer and the think tank Wela. This includes state pensioners, early retirees, and disability pension recipients—with over half of the latter group stating they could have continued working.

Palle Smed, director of Faglige Seniorer, called the current system flawed, arguing it forces workers to shift “from 100 percent to zero in an instant.” His proposed “free pass” would allow early pension recipients to work up to 15 hours weekly without financial penalties.

“Most want to stay connected to the workforce. If so many say this, it’s because they love their jobs,” Smed told DR’s P1 Morgen, adding that today’s labour market is “too rigid” and fails to accommodate demands for flexibility—such as shorter hours, extra days off, or part-time roles.

Current rules permit state pensioners to earn up to 122,004 DKK (≈16,400 EUR) annually without affecting their supplementary benefits—a weekly equivalent of 2,346 DKK (≈315 EUR).

Business lobby Dansk Erhverv welcomed the proposal. “We spend too much time discussing when and how to exit the workforce, not enough on how to stay,” said deputy director Sofie Finding Andersen, noting that nearly half of working seniors past retirement age already work 16 hours weekly. She stressed that Denmark’s shrinking working-age population makes retention critical, calling senior and foreign labour “the drivers of job growth.”

Andersen acknowledged existing flexibility measures work but insisted “the potential isn’t exhausted,” endorsing Smed’s 15-hour exemption as a step forward.