Denmark 2019

Living standards and wellbeing are high in Denmark. Economic conditions have improved in recent years and the steady expansion is projected to continue. A prolonged series of pension and benefit reforms has delivered sound public finances and strengthened potential growth, among others by indexation of statutory retirement ages to life expectancy. Improving public sector efficiency remains a challenge and would benefit from further digitalisation and reform of collective bargaining. Danish firms are close to the technological frontier thanks to digitalisation and favourable business framework conditions. Nonetheless, productivity growth has been disappointing in the recent past with a particular weakness in less knowledge-intensive service industries. Boosting productivity growth is essential to ensure that living standards and wellbeing remain high. This requires further improving business framework conditions, notably competition pressures. Policy needs to embrace innovative technologies by leaning against attempts to discourage or exclude them and by tackling unintended or outmoded obstacles in legislation and regulation. Reducing high marginal taxes, broadening innovation activity and attracting more high-skilled foreign workers are also priorities. SPECIAL FEATURES: PRODUCTIVITY; BUSINESS FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS