Carer But Uncared For? The Structures and Dynamics of the Austrian 24-hour Care Market

Abstract

Since its legalization in 2007, 24-hour care work has been gaining popularity and importance in the Austrian long-term care sector. With it, the existence of placement agencies – acting as labor market intermediaries – has proliferated. To date, there is little research on the role of such agencies in the 24-hour care market. Therefore, this thesis investigates the dynamics and structures among agencies, carers, and patients in this market. After conducting a review of relevant literature and theoretical concepts, qualitative data was collected through eleven in-depth, semi-structured interviews with care workers and placement agencies. Systematic inductive analysis sheds light on the main topics engulfing 24-hour care: conflicts, (mis)trust, and the role of the agency in all this. Thus, this thesis contributes to the literature on 24-hour care in Austria, but more importantly, the role of labor market intermediaries in the care sector. It reveals the market structures and dynamics to be more complex than suggested in previous literature by establishing (a) the involvement of a foreign agency in the recruitment of migrant care workers; (b) that LMIs’ functions diverge with size of agency and who the services are provided to; (c) the high likelihood of bogus self-employment being present; and (d) that the emotional component of care can potentially enrich conventional migration rationales for this sector.