Home employment refers to a large range of activities which contribute to the well-being of families and persons in their home: childcare, caring for the elderly and the disabled, housekeeping, educational support, DIY, gardening, computer assistance, etc. In the sector of home employment between private individuals, a household finds an external response to its needs by employing a person at home, with the right skills matched with these needs. It is therefore a contractual work relationship between two private individuals, without any trading or profit-making objective.

The European White Paper intends to define, specify and promote the specific characteristics of this employment model, which provides answers to various economic, social and societal stakes in Europe. Home employment is mostly a response to private households’ needs. Through these individual solutions, they provide a citizen response to major collective issues: supporting population’s ageing, supporting women participation to the labour market and birth rates, creating declared jobs, developing social rights, recognising new skills for domestic workers and integrating migrants decently.