Ad-PHS project’s workshop in Germany

On June 17,  the Institute for Economics, Labour and Culture (IWAK)/Centre of Goethe University Frankfurt,  organised the German workshop, in the framework of the Ad-PHS project.

The aim of the Ad-PHS workshop in Germany was to bring together different key actors relevant for developing the field of personal and household services (PHS). As several instruments for supporting the development of PHS exist in Germany (e.g. the “minijob” or tax deductions), it was important to discuss how well these instruments work and how it would be possible to improve them in order to promote formal employment relationships in private households. Furthermore, suitable policies can support the emergence of formalised employment opportunities in private households for persons whose skills or work experience make it difficult for them to compete for jobs in the labour market. Therefore, it was essential to review the opportunities for formalisation and professionalisation of the field.

The event started with a presentation by Sigrid Rand (IWAK)/Centre of Goethe University Frankfurt) and Karin Pape (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing & Organizing (WIEGO)) on the successful instruments for subsidising and professionalizing the PHS field in different European countries. Subsequently, Johannes Jakob of the Federal Executive Board of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) demonstrated how a switch from subsidising employers to subsidising employees would help to create more employment relationships that are subject to social security contributions, thus improving their working conditions and employment perspectives.

In the next step, Rolf Keil and Maja Weise-Georg from the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration (HMSI) presented their plans to support the professionalisation of PHS for elderly in the Federal State of Hesse through targeted qualification offers for (potential) employees in the field.

The afternoon was dedicated to discussions in two working groups defining the challenges that the support and governance structures for the PHS field are currently facing in Germany. Based on the presentations in the morning, the participants explored how it would be possible to learn from the experiences of other countries in this process.

Finally, Barbara Wagner of GFFB gGmbH reported on a successful project supported by the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration (HMSI). It was carried out in Frankfurt am Main and aimed at providing support to migrant women in acquiring language skills that would enable them to find (skilled) work in the PHS field.