The unemployed face tougher sanctions if they fail to look for work, although benefits for those genuinely struggling could actually rise, under radical plans to adopt the “tough but tender” Danish welfare model to the UK. James Purnell, work and pensions secretary, travelled to Copenhagen to see its “flexicurity” system in action, which has given Denmark the lowest unemployment rate in the EU and second lowest in the OECD. The government is braced for the jobless total to creep above one million in the UK before long. Latest figures showed the claimant count at 904,000. Ministers are eager to see how countries with very low unemployment run their welfare systems and what can be learnt from them. Denmark’s low jobless count is despite generous unemployment benefits which, for many, match their entire salary.
The Times