Transnational Social Protection for Migrant Care Workers: The Experiences, Practices of and Hurdles for Self-Employed 24-Hour Care Workers

Abstract

This chapter explores the experiences and practices of intra-EU migrant care workers with formal social protection. It studies whether and how self-employed, live-in migrant care workers make use of the provisions determined by EU social security coordination and national regulations. The analysis focuses on Austria as destination and Central and Eastern European countries as countries of origin. It builds on the European social citizenship literature and uses information from 23 in-depth interviews with migrant care workers. These workers benefit from the social security regulations attached to self-employment in Austria and, in principle, can fully benefit from European social security coordination. In reality, however, rotational migration, the particular work arrangement and specific individual circumstances in a multi-level context can create substantial limits.