Flexibility and security: an asymmetrical relationship?
9.4. The fate of the flexicurity agenda in times of
uncertainty
In the light of the present-day global economic downturn it is hard to predict whether the flexi-
curity policy agenda will either perish, to be replaced by the next fashionable and politically useful
concept, or outlive its critics, to become an enduring component of a particularly European approach
of combining employment and social policies (Vierbrock & Clasen, 2009). In any event and regard-
less of the outcome of this particular approach, European policy makers and national authorities and
social actors need to address some daunting challenges.
The first challenge stems from the concern regarding the fate of the victims of labour market
deregulation. The reduction in job security and the growth of precarious work jeopardise the chances
of the “outsiders” (whose share in the total workforce is on the rise) to fully participate in the labour
market, with a “proper” job and full rights and entitlements. Increasing labour market segmentation
and growing inequalities inevitably pose the question: should those better off relinquish part of their
security and income to improve the situation of the more vulnerable, especially of the precarious
workforce and the working poor?
The second challenge is associated with the growing awareness that the “precarisation” of large
segments of the workforce, and the rise of in-work poverty, further undermine the sustainability
of the European Social Model. In the (not so) long-run, the cost of maintaining the welfare state
is expected to outrun the wealth produced. How will the ESM survive? Can the Nordic model of
reconciling economic efficiency with a satisfactory level of employment integration for the great
majority of workers be transferred to other socio-economic contexts? The answer eventually lies in
the perception of the welfare state also as a productive factor that can not only provide a safety net
for people to take risks, attempt transitions, and learn new skills, but also improve the functioning
of the labour market by reducing segmentation and wage dispersion and improving the matching of
supply and demand.
The third challenge is about not losing sight of the real issues at stake (issues that are often dis-
guised in the debate): providing decent work, fighting against precariousness and in-work poverty,
enhancing social cohesion, whilst at the same time boosting productivity and improving economic
performance. This will require building up consensus in view of arriving at a “new deal” between the
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