New law in Denmark prohibits companies from asking age of job applicants: Report

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In a recent development, the Denmark government has prohibited companies from asking about the age of job applicants in the country. A new law pertaining to the same came into effect on Friday, July 1, which was earlier adopted in the parliament in the month of March. The law states that it is no longer required for applicants to state their age when applying for jobs. According to reports, the new law’s goal is to stop companies from turning away applicants because of candidates’ age.

Earlier in March, Denmark’s Employment Minister Peter Hummelgaard had expressed his optimism that the law would improve the job-seeking conditions for older candidates. His statement had come after the regulation was passed by the parliament. “I appreciate that this ban won’t do everything but it does send a strong signal,’ Hummelgaard said. With this legislation, we want to avoid employers filtering their pile of applications by just looking at birth dates before reading through them, and that they actually address the competencies of the applicant,” Hummelgaard remarked, The Local, the European news outlet, reported.

Unemployment among 50-59 year-olds has dropped by 50%: Report

However, a recent survey revealed that the number of people who felt discriminated against while hunting for jobs because of their age has decreased marginally even before the law came into effect. In a survey of its members, the trade union HK Privat, which represents about 100,000 workers in the private sector, discovered that at least 17% of them had encountered age discrimination. In a similar survey conducted last year, at least 24% of people stated that they faced discrimination based on their age. According to reports, unemployment among 50-59 year-olds has decreased by 50% in the last one year in Denmark.

Denmark slashes Pay Limit Scheme’s minimum income requirement

Meanwhile, the country’s Finance Ministry recently stated that the Pay Limit Scheme’s minimum income requirement will be cut as a result of a rule amendment that was approved by a majority of parties. According to the amended rule, employees with annual incomes of 375,000 kroner or more would be eligible for the scheme. It represents a decrease of 16% from the current salary ceiling of 448,000 kroner annually.

Image: Instagram/@mette/Pixabay


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