Mutual learning on adequate long-term care workforce

The workshop gathered national long-term care coordinators and representative, social partners and civil society organisations.

It provided participants with an opportunity to learn and exchange among themselves and with experts on challenges and best practices related to long-term care workforce, with particular attention to social dialogue and collective bargaining to improve working conditions and wages, education and training, targeted support for vulnerable LTC workers (domestic, live-in, migrant and undeclared workers).

The seminar was an opportunity to present EU-level initiatives (social dialogue committee on social services, LTC skills partnership and preliminary findings from analyses on application of EU labour law to LTC workers and attracting TCNs in the LTC sectors), national measures, as well as having dedicated working group discussions. 

While a lot of initiatives exist as regards social dialogue and collective bargaining to improve working conditions in the sector, for example via full employment, participants agreed on the importance of reinforcing collective agreements for the homecare sector and social dialogue with private providers.

On education and training, discussions focused on initiatives to attract more workers in the sector in response to labour shortages, such as promoting LTC curricula in schools or activating informal carers.

Practices for continuous training on the job were also discussed, underlining the need to make this compatible with heavy workload, for instance through the use of micro-credentials and modular learning. Member States are increasingly aligning skills’ assessment and training curricula to deliver person-centred care.

On targeted support to vulnerable workers, good practices to improve access to social protection and labour rights were shared, such as regularisation campaigns for undeclared workers, information campaigns with the support of social partners and civil society, specific laws and/or collective agreements for domestic/live-in carers, as well as programmes and pathways for ethical recruitment of third country nationals. 

Background

The Recommendation invites Member States to support quality employment and fair working conditions in long-term care, in particular by:

1. promoting national social dialogue and collective bargaining in long-term care, including supporting the development of attractive wages, adequate working arrangements and non-discrimination in the sector, while respecting the autonomy of social partners;
2. without prejudice to Union law on occupational health and safety and while ensuring its effective application, promoting the highest standards in occupational health and safety, including protection from harassment, abuse and all forms of violence, for all long-term care workers;
3. addressing the challenges of vulnerable groups of workers, such as domestic long-term care workers, live-in care workers and migrant care workers, including by providing for effective regulation and professionalisation of such care work.

Member States together with partners, long-term care providers and other stakeholders, are also recommended to improve the professionalisation of care and address skills needs and worker shortages in long-term care, in particular by:

1. designing and improving the initial and continuous education and training to equip current and future long-term care workers with the necessary skills and competences, including digital ones;
2. building career pathways in the long-term care sector, including through upskilling, reskilling, skills validation, and information and guidance services;
3. establishing pathways to a regular employment status for undeclared long-term care workers;
4. exploring legal migration pathways for long-term care workers;
5. strengthening professional standards, offering attractive professional status and career prospects and adequate social protection to long-term care workers, including to those with low or no qualifications;
6. implementing measures to tackle gender stereotypes and gender segregation and to make the long-term care profession attractive to both men and women.