A new ESPN Flash Report on early retirement for worn-out workers in Denmark has just been published.

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In the 2006 cross-party agreed pension reforms, Denmark decided to raise eligibility ages for early and old-age pensions, link them to developments in life expectancy and reduce the average pension duration to 14.5 years. A narrow coalition of centre-right parties further restricted access to early retirement in subsequent follow-up reforms.

In the run-up to the general election, the main opposition party has caused a major upheaval by campaigning on a promise to introduce a right for worn-out workers with long work records to claim the basic national pension 3 to 5 years before they reach pensionable age.

Given the macro-economic and financial implications as well as the technicalities of this issue, it is unlikely that any decision will be made before the elections are held.