1 ‘Flexicurity’ and HR-policies for the older workers Working paper for the Workshop TLM-Work Package 7 ‘Active retirement’ in Alcala, June 2-3 2004, Alcala. Updated september 2004. Frank Tros 1 Universiteit van Amsterdam Hugo Sinzheimer Instituut Rokin 84 1012 KX Amsterdam The Netherlands F.H.Tros@uva.nl Summary This working paper deals with a research project in progress: “flexicurity and HR-policies for the older workers’ by Frank Tros (Hugo Sinzheimer Instituut, University of Amsterdam) and Thomas Bredgaard (Carma institute, University of Aalborg). See for the umbrella research program on ‘flexicurity’, other projects, events, publications etc.: www.tilburguniversity.nl/flexicurity . As one of the starting points for the research project, shifts in the policy environments of the firms in Belgium, Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands regarding to the older workers are analysed in this paper. This analysis of policies on the national and sectoral levels focus on the dimensions of flexibility, security and the interconnections between this two dimensions regarding to the older workers in the labour markes. ‘Flexicurity’ can be defined as a policy strategy that enhance the flexibility of labour markets, work organisations and labour relations on the one hand, and enhance employment and sociale security on the other hand. The paper explores differences in the emphasis put on types and levels of flexibility and security in the labour markets and in the policies for older workers in the four EU-countries. In these countries the arrangements for early labour market exit - and therefore the income security for older workers and HR-instruments to adapt the work forces to the changing economic environments - are under pressure. Therefore, strategies are needed to enhance other types of flexibility and security. In the Danish labour market, the specific interconnection of (external numerical) flexibility and (employment and income) security seems to be beneficial for the older workers. In policies in Belgium and The Netherlands, there appear policy shifts towards new combinations of internal flexibility and job security and employment security. In Germany the ‘old trade-off’ in the early retirement 1 Co-researcher in this project is Thomas Bredgaard, Aalborg University.