Work

The Value of Care: Brokering Work Conditions and Wages within a Transnational Care System

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This article explains how the triadic brokering system in the European Union affects the conditions of work and pay of mobile care workers. Using original survey data gathered from Polish care workers in Germany, the authors found that workers earn less money the more hours they work. Based on qualitative interviews with care workers and representatives of labor market intermediaries, they argue that the brokering relationship is responsible for the misalignment between working hours and pay. Workers negotiate their pay and working hours within two distinct contexts: in the domestic sphere with their German clients (care recipients and their families) and in interactions with care agencies in Poland. The article also identifies the conditions under which workers are able to benefit from, or are disadvantaged by, the brokering relationship. Findings suggest that these consist of a combination of individual (e.g., language proficiency, professional care skills) and structural conditions (e.g., demographic changes, EU mobile rights).

Source: Industrial and Labor Relations Review

DOI: 10.1177/00197939261431220

Authors: Kamil Matuszczyk, Magdalena Nowicka, Niklas Harder, Mathis Herpell

Institutions: German Center for Integration and Migration Research, University of Warsaw

Language: English

Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650