On 18 June 2025, EFFE took part in the webinar organised by the European Commission – DG Employment and Skills, entitled “Towards a more coherent framework for addressing long-term care workforce challenges: from evidence to policy responses”, held in the context of the implementation of the European Care Strategy. The online event brought together a wide range of European stakeholders – including institutions, national authorities, researchers, social partners, and civil society representatives – to address the critical challenges currently facing the long-term care (LTC) sector.
A pressing context for domestic & home care sector
Long-term care sits at the heart of Europe’s demographic, social, and economic transformation. Yet, the sector is facing a sustainability crisis: workforce shortages, precarious working conditions, undeclared employment, and chronic underinvestment. These vulnerabilities not only hinder families’ access to quality care services, but also limit the sector’s potential in terms of job creation and its positive fiscal and social impact.
Against this backdrop, the webinar aimed to:
EFFE’s contribution to the second workshop: labour rights, compliance and undeclared work
EFFE was invited to speak in the second workshop, “Labour rights, enforcement and undeclared work”, alongside Eurofound and the European Labour Authority (ELA). This session provided an opportunity to explore several core issues: the effective implementation of labour rights, social protection for domestic care workers, the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers, and the need to elevate care work as a common good. The discussions also highlighted the importance of social dialogue in a predominantly private and informal sector.
As part of this panel, EFFE presented its latest innovation from the EFFE Lab: the Dom & Care Value simulator.
Dom & Care Value: measuring the impact of incentive policies
The Dom & Care Value simulator is an economic modelling tool designed to assess the impact of public policies that promote formal employment in the home care sector. By simulating various solvency-enhancing mechanisms (e.g. service vouchers, tax credits, individual care accounts), the tool allows policymakers to:
Such tools are crucial to guide evidence-based policymaking and ensure comparability across Member States, especially as national responses to the Council Recommendation on long-term care remain diverse.
Since its official launch at the European Parliament on 20 March 2025, the Dom & Care Value simulator has attracted growing interest from policymakers at both EU and national levels. EFFE has been invited to present it on multiple occasions, including at DG EMPL on 5th of June 2025, as part of the Triple A Talks series. These sessions, hosted by the European Commission, provide a platform to showcase recent research on employment and social issues, offering Commission staff insights into emerging evidence and supporting strategic policy reflection. EFFE’s participation reflects the increasing recognition of the simulator as a decision-making support tool at a time when Member States seek to strengthen the effectiveness and fairness of their care systems.
Four key conditions for effective policies
During its presentation, EFFE emphasised that a fair and sustainable home care sector can only be built around four core pillars:
EFFE values this collaboration with the European Commission and remains committed to supporting the construction of a coherent, fair and sustainable European framework for home care employment.