Labour Mobility from Eastern European Welfare States: Zooming in on Romania and Slovakia

Abstract

AbstractIn the last two decades, care deficits in Western Europe have been fuelled by demographic and social transformations, such as population ageing, changes in household structures, welfare programme reforms and an altogether lesser involvement of the state in care provision. These care deficits, particularly in high-income countries, have been addressed through migrant labour which, in turn, contributes to increasing care needs in the migrants’ sending countries. Through the example of Romanian and Slovak caregivers working in 2- and 4-week shifts in Austria, this chapter explores the linkages between care workers’ strategies to address the care deficits in their families, the features of relevant welfare provisions in their respective countries of origin and the workers’ mobility patterns. The chapter argues that existing (limited) care needs in their respective families allow carers to engage in transnational work, while extensive care needs at home are a hindrance for working abroad. In other words, there seems to be a tipping point in the care needs of workers’ families, which results in care workers no longer wanting to work abroad but needing to remain in their countries of origin and care for family members instead. Furthermore, the chapter argues that labour mobility patterns are also influenced by the ‘familialistic’ orientation of relevant welfare provisions in sending countries. As limited formal services put pressure on families to continue providing care informally, institutional frameworks for childcare and care for the elderly also influence care workers’ mobility strategies.