Migrants to the Rescue? Care Workforce Migrantisation on the Example of Elder Care in Germany

Abstract

AbstractThe share of migrant workers in the long-term care (LTC) workforce across the world has been increasing. Despite similar trends in terms of overall LTC migrantisation, countries differ in the ways in which migrant workers are involved in national care regimes. Previous research identified several modes of migrantisation, including the “migrant in the family” and “migrant in formal care” outcomes. In the literature, the emergence of each mode is explained by a country-specific intersection of regimes of care, migration and employment. However, analyses of the concrete mechanisms through which such intersections produce differential outcomes are still missing. In this chapter, we identify and explain the mechanisms that resulted in the emergence of “migrant in the family” and “migrant in formal care” migrantisation in Germany.