The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has published a report titled “The future of live-in care work in Europe” which looks into the sector in four countries – the UK, Germany, Italy, and Poland – chosen for their different prevailing models of employment of live-in care workers.
It is based on input from live-in care providers, trade unionists, employers and their associations, and organisations dealing with ageing, labour mobility and migrant rights. It provides summaries of discussions in the countries visited, detailing the situation in each of their live-in care sectors, with case examples and forecasts of future developments.
The report finds the situation in the live-in care sector to be unsustainable, with working conditions of carers “bordering on sheer exploitation” and care recipients struggling to find affordable and quality care. The authors point to an urgent need for stronger state involvement and effective action at national and European level to regularise the precarious situation of both caregivers and care recipients in this booming sector.
In conclusion, the authors are calling on the EU to prepare a strategy on live-in care at the EU level, guidelines on working time, regulations regarding the training needed to perform care duties, as well as certification for agencies acting as intermediaries between workers and families.
To read the full text of the report, please visit EESC’s website.