Migrant Care Workers in Swedish Elderly and Disability Care: Are They Disadvantaged?

Abstract

This study outlines characteristics among migrant workers in elderly and disability care in Sweden. The aim was to investigate whether migrant care workers perceive their situation at work to be more problematic than do their native peers. The study was based on the Nordcare dataset, an extensive mail survey aimed at investigating conditions among care workers in the Nordic countries (n=735 in the Swedish part of the dataset). Care workers born outside Sweden constituted 13 per cent (n=94) of the workforce. When taking other variables into account, the situation of migrant care workers from other Nordic countries was similar to that of Swedish-born care workers. Being born outside the Nordic countries was associated with an increased risk of having a high work load and not being appreciated by co-workers, and a decreased risk of being criticised by care users. Male care workers born outside the Nordic countries displayed aspects of precariousness that merit further investigation. Based on these findings, researchers and policy-makers are warned not to presume that all migrant care workers suffer from precarious working conditions and that such conditions reported by members of the category may be attributed to factors other than ethnic origin.