On 9 February, the 2026 PHS Employment Monitor launches at www.phs-monitor.eu, giving people across Europe the chance to share their experiences with personal and household services. Whether you work in homecare or domestic services, employ someone to provide care or household support, or receive care at home, your voice matters.
The survey is available in around 40 languages and will run until 9 April. It aims to capture real-life experiences, making care work visible and recognised by policymakers across Europe.
Why this survey matters
Personal and household services are at the heart of daily life across Europe. From childcare and elder care to cleaning, cooking, and other household support, millions of people rely on these services to live independently, balance work and family, and stay active in their communities. Yet despite their vital role, care work often remains invisible.
Strong, representative evidence is key to change. The 2024 PHS Employment Monitor gathered over 6,000 responses across Europe, with results cited by the OECD, the International Labour Organization, the European Commission, Eurofound, and national ministries. The 2026 survey builds on this foundation, broadening participation to include under-represented countries, migrant communities, and especially care users, ensuring a full picture of how care and household support are organised across Europe.
About the SCALE UP project
The 2026 survey is part of the SCALE UP project, a two-year EU-funded initiative designed to strengthen the Sectoral Social Dialogue of EFFE, EFSI, EFFAT, and UNI Europa in personal and household services. SCALE UP builds on a decade of collaboration and previous EU-funded projects, including PHSDialogue, and takes an innovative approach to connect the realities of workers, users, and employers at local and national levels to social dialogue at the EU level.
The project supports both employer organisations (EFFE, EFSI) and trade union organisations (EFFAT, UNI Europa), enabling them to recruit new national partners, strengthen collective bargaining structures, and contribute directly to EU-level social dialogue. Working and plenary group meetings at the EU level provide opportunities to exchange views, reach common positions, and feed insights into European legislative agendas, including the EU Care Strategy, the Directive on Minimum Adequate Wages and Collective Bargaining, and the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Why your participation counts
By taking part in the survey, you help show what care and domestic work really looks like across Europe. Your responses will inform discussions about working conditions, social protection, quality and accessible care, gender equality, and migration in the sector.
Whether you are a worker, an employer, or someone receiving care, your experience is essential to creating evidence that policymakers cannot ignore. Every response strengthens the visibility of care work and contributes to shaping better policies and fairer practices in Europe.
Join the 2026 PHS Employment Monitor
The survey opens on 9 February and will remain available until 9 April. You can participate in your language and help make the realities of care and household services heard across Europe.
Visit www.phs-monitor.eu to take part and share your experience today and please share the survey within your networks. Strong participation ensures strong, representative evidence, and strong evidence makes care work impossible to overlook.