The professionalization of domestic workers sector must be part of the new strategy in terms of skills for Europe, adopted by the Commission on 10th June 2016. Ten actions have been launched so that the citizens of the European Union may acquire skills and benefit from appropriate training and support. The workers of the sector must, as others, be able to take advantage of them.
- Joint and/or conventional agreements for a better professionalization and increased consideration of the jobs of the sector and to enable professional evolution. It appears clear that where collective negotiations exist, the employment conditions are better defined and structured, of benefit both to the employers through the quality of the services offered, and to the workers through their working conditions and vocational training.
- A study on the qualifications of the sector and the recognition of equivalences between European countries should be carried out. The sector must be able to refer to the European agency on training and qualifications, the CEDEFOP, to promote studies on the sector’s jobs and their evolutions over the next ten years, both in the care jobs and in the non-care jobs. A European project, such as PRODOME, which unites France, Italy and Spain around a shared certification potentially for all European countries and for domestic workers, is an initiative to be encouraged.
- In the end, the social dialogue must enable the creation of a universal skills account. Although the integration in society through work is a central preoccupation in European social policies, there are still too few concrete actions and tools to reach achievement. Ensuring the recognition of the professional skills acquired through home employment by the creation of a universal skills account would favour social integration of the less-qualified populations. This would also contribute to accompanying employers in their recruitment and would encourage intra-community exchanges.
