Eurocarers is the European network representing informal carers (unpaid carers) and their organisations. It is composed of practitioners, academics, representatives from the third sector and policymakers from all European countries to share concerns, best practices and policy recommendations that could be incorporated into EU-level advocacy.
The latest Policy Working Group meeting, held at the European Centre for Social Welfare and Research in Vienna on 10-11 April 2025, centred on two main topics:
- Mapping the concerns of informal carers (unpaid carers) regarding long term care (LTC) systems relying on migrant care workers
- Work-life balance and Carers’ Leave
Below is a summary of the discussion among participants of the Policy Working Group regarding the concerns of unpaid carers about LTC systems relying on migrant care workers.
LTC systems across Europe are increasingly reliant on migrant care workers to fill the gaps left by underfunded public care infrastructures. This reliance creates several challenges for both unpaid carers and the migrant care workers that people who need support employ directly through private arrangements. During a recent meeting of the Eurocarers Policy Working Group, members discussed these concerns, emphasising the need for systemic reform and increased support across all fronts. Here are the key takeaways from the meeting:
Quality of care
One issue discussed was the uncertainty surrounding the quality of care provided by migrant workers in private homes, often lacking adequate oversight. This absence of regulation allows for the possibility of substandard care, as migrant workers frequently become “invisible” to authorities, effectively creating a black market for care provision, as has been highlighted in Italy and Germany. The privatisation of care complicates this further, especially as families become smaller and have fewer individuals to share caregiving responsibilities.
Migrant carers’ working conditions
Limited official mechanisms to ensure safety place both care recipients and migrant workers at risk. Live-in migrant care workers, in particular, face significant challenges in managing their work-life balance, as they often work longer hours and take limited breaks. Some of these care workers are staying in inadequate living spaces with very little personal space and unfair compensation. The situation may worsen if the care recipient dies, as the care worker could lose both their job and their accommodation suddenly, leaving them with little time to seek recourse or support before transitioning to new placements.
Immigration laws as obstacles
Strict immigration laws can create setbacks in formal work arrangements, forcing many care workers into the “grey area” as undeclared workers or in irregular work arrangements—neither fully self-employed nor formally employed, resulting in a lack of labour rights, healthcare or pensions. Families employing migrant care workers are often unaware of their responsibilities, which increases vulnerabilities for both parties. Additionally, weak regulation of brokering agencies that connect families with migrant care workers adds another layer of risk.
Inadequate training
Subpar training is another consequence of a lack of regulatory oversight, especially highlighted in situations where some migrant care workers perform complex tasks without formal qualifications. The quality of care and support can become further muddled due to language barriers, causing difficulty in understanding, as well as cultural differences, which can disrupt daily basic routines such as food preparation.
Power dynamics and emotional aspects
Major power imbalances can be seen between family employers and migrant care workers, creating space for potential exploitation and emotional complexities. Unpaid carers can often experience guilt for not being able to provide hands-on care and support themselves, and feel anxiety about entrusting a stranger with personal responsibilities. This dynamic may lead them to feel as though they are “paying their way out” of caregiving, influenced by cultural expectations of familial care. Participants also highlighted issues of trust, particularly when care workers and care recipients provide conflicting accounts of care situations.
Recommendations for improvement
- Regulation and recognition
All members emphasised the need for formal recognition of migrant care workers as essential components of national long term care strategies, alongside the regulation of recruitment agencies. Additionally, innovative approaches such as establishing legalised pathways for undocumented workers and bilateral agreements between the country of origin and destination, enabling transnational labour mobility and training programs, were proposed as concrete steps toward better governance.
- Support for migrant care workers
Ensuring occupational safety and health protections for migrant care workers was another key priority. Trade union representatives further stressed that migrant care workers should be covered by the same protections as other workers, including insurance coverage for accidents and illnesses, better regulation of wages, and the creation of accessible pathways for complaints in cases of abuse. Additionally, assessing household conditions, guaranteeing adequate working hours and breaks, using replacement workers to lighten the workload wherever necessary, providing language training and cultural orientation and setting up community-based networks were identified as essential measures to improve the wellbeing of migrant care workers.
- Support for unpaid carers as employers
People who need care and support, and their unpaid carers and families, often find themselves in employer roles without a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities. This lack of accessible information highlights the need for training and support in managing employment contracts and understanding obligations. Participants have also called for government frameworks that provide legal and financial security, along with alternative collective solutions for those who prefer not to become individual employers. This could involve support from enterprises, non-profit organisations and carer organisations to provide intermediary services. Additionally, participants emphasised the importance of a societal recognition of the reality of hiring migrant care workers, to help reduce the stigma associated with this arrangement and, in turn, reduce the emotional stress of unpaid carers.
- Integration with community care
Better coordination between migrant care workers and other professional services, such as public health services, was identified as crucial for comprehensive care. Community nurses, for example, could play a vital role in assessing and training migrant care workers. Additionally, regular meetings involving all parties in the care arrangement were recommended to ensure ongoing communication and the adjustment of care plans. Participants also suggested that lessons could be learned from the disability sector’s experience with personal assistance models to support employer roles while maintaining collective oversight.
- Financial considerations
The deficiencies in public care provision and the need for increased public investment in formal care systems were broadly recognised. To bring migrant care into the legal market, participants discussed potential tax benefits for declaring migrant care work; however, concerns were raised about potentially draining public resources from those most in need, particularly if wealthier families could offer higher salaries that might draw qualified staff away from public systems. Nevertheless, several participants stressed the importance of ensuring that any solution contributes financially to public care systems, rather than undermining them, to help fund broader care infrastructure.
Next Steps
The Eurocarers Policy Working Group plans to develop a Position Paper by October 2025 to consolidate these insights, exchange best practices, and advocate for improved conditions for both unpaid carers and migrant care workers at the European and national levels, while also recognising that solutions will require multi-level governance approaches and appropriate financing.
Suggested reading
“Employing Carers” principles document published by Eurocarers outlining standards for fair employment of carers across different contexts. Click here to read on the Eurocarers website (PDF).
About the Author
Laura’s areas of research revolve around trust formation in information seeking, information overload and use of online communities for information exchange in different contexts. Laura is currently working with informal carers of people with dementia and LGBTQ+ carers to address their health information seeking practices.
