Every day, all across Europe, millions of people rely on the dedication of Personal & Household Services (PHS) workers, who provide care or domestic support for people in their homes. PHS workers perform many diverse and crucial tasks, from caring for children, the elderly, and disabled people, to the activities of daily household life such as cooking, cleaning, gardening, and more.
In an effort to develop a stronger understanding of the state of the PHS sector, and to shed light on these critical sectors, in 2024, as part of an EU co/financed project (“PHSDialogue”- Project reference number: 101102302), the EU Social Partners for Personal & Household Services (EFFAT, EFFE, EFSI, and UNI Europa) launched the first ever PHS Employment Monitor: the largest European survey for PHS workers, employers, user-employers, and service users.
Over 4,000 responses were collected from workers, over 2,000 from service users and user-employers, and 157 from provider companies and organisations, for a total of 6523 responses across 27 countries.
The results of the Monitor point out to a set of interconnected challenges and possible solutions in identifying and addressing the root causes of the problems facing the PHS sectors, as told by the workers, users, and provider organisations who know them best.