Caregivers in Austria often come from East European countries like Slovakia, Romania or Hungary. They are much needed – but still paid poorly.

„Carenomads“ is the title of a discussion that centers the precarious working conditions of foreign caregivers in Austria, the inactivity of policymakers and the risks connected with the bogus self-employment of caregivers.

Bogus self-employment describes being officially registered as self-employed while in reality being dependent on and controlled by a company. Workers in bogus self-employment don’t have access to health insurance or sick leave, which leads to a lower income and less security. Bogus self-employment is common in the gig economy as well as the care economy.

The panelists are Katarina Csanyiova and Simona Ďurišová. Ďurišová is a co-founder of IG24, the interest group of 24h-carers in Austria. Csanyiova is a performance and installation artist who made a short film about caregivers. The film, which is also titled „CarenomadInnen“, meaning „Carenomads“, shows the long commute of Slovakian caregivers from their homecountry to Austria.

The talk is moderated by Christine Braunersreuther who carried out research on the invisibility of transnational 24 hour caregivers.

Recording of a discussion from the 22nd February, organised by FLUCC Vienna.