Complexities and Contradictions in Employment Regimes and the Capabilities and Agency of Migrants in the Care/Domestic Sector

In our comparative project on Spain and Sweden, considered as two divergent welfare regimes, we began with the assumption  that welfare/care regimes matter in care/domestic markets and the outcomes for those employed in this sector.  Yet the complexities and contradictions that we find in employment trajectories of migrants working in the sector and the possibilities for alternative futures suggest that the need for more multi-dimensional and dynamic models, particularly in the post-crisis era.  In both countries, trans-national migration and the expansion in private markets for care/domestic services have created employment regimes in which statutory regulations around working conditions are disregarded; discriminatory practices are rampant.  Migrant care/workers often lack basic employment rights (in Sweden, for instance, where the majority or workers have them). They also lack access to health care, which differs in Barcelona, Madrid and Stockholm, depending on migrant/employment status.  Though both Spain and Sweden have introduced policies to formalize the sector, informality characterizes the sector and the boundaries between formal/informal are blurred.  In this paper, we seek to develop a multi-level dynamic model (inspired by Sen’s capabilities framework) to address the mechanisms shaping the wellbeing and quality life of migrant care/domestic workers and their capabilities and agency to make alternative choices. We use qualitative and quantitative data (1) a qualitative semi structured survey of migrant care workers implemented in Stockholm, Barcelona and Madrid (90 interviews) ;(2) Two comparable national surveys of immigrants:  for Sweden (the UFB); for  Spain (NIS). Both allow us to analyze migration and employment trajectories.