Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality illegally shortened job support programmes, forcing reassessment of cases

A Danish municipality illegally cut the duration of employment support programmes from three years to one, prompting a formal complaint and forcing officials to reverse the decision, state broadcaster DR reports.

Ringkøbing-Skjern’s employment committee voted in August 2025 to limit so-called ressourceforløb—intensive, cross-disciplinary programmes designed to help citizens with complex barriers return to work or education—to a maximum of one year, despite national legislation permitting up to three. The move, intended to align with an upcoming reform abolishing the programme in February 2026, was flagged as unlawful by private social counsellor Maj Thorsen after she discovered the decision in municipal meeting minutes.

“This has been a truly remarkable case to uncover,” Thorsen told DR, calling the instruction “clearly illegal.” She filed a complaint on behalf of a client whose one-year programme was subsequently extended to the full three-year term under the existing law.

The municipality has now acknowledged the error and will reassess 13 affected cases. Jens Jensen (S), chair of the local business and employment committee, described the episode as “deeply regrettable” and accepted political responsibility. “When we make a mistake, we must correct it as quickly as possible—and that’s what we’re doing now,” he said.

The original decision was justified in internal documents as a measure to avoid prolonged dual processing under old and new legislation. Resource programmes were officially phased out nationwide on 1 February 2026 as part of broader employment reforms.