2nd EFSI Employer’s Meeting: Open Discussion on the PHS Dialogue Project Capacity-Building Activities and Exchange of Practices

On 18 March 2025, EFSI held its second internal employer’s meeting under the framework of the PHS Dialogue project. This meeting gathered EFSI’s members to discuss the advancement of the project and support knowledge exchanges.

During the first part of the meeting, a detailed presentation on the development of the PHS Employers’ Capacity Building Toolkit (to be published in May 2025) was given to the participants. Following this presentation, valuable inputs were given by the EFSI members, including the importance of noting the fragmentation of the sector between the “for-profit” and “not-for-profit” organisations, but also the lack of balance between policies for workers and employers. The participants also insisted on two important services PHS Employers and Business Organisations should provide:

• Training courses not only for the employers to get acquainted with the labour law, but also for the households receiving the workers to guarantee a good service for both sides;
• Targeted communication campaigns to provide an accurate image of the sector and benefits of working under a regulated market.

Moreover, the participants had the opportunity to listen to key insights on the PHS sector in Italy and Germany and gain first-hand knowledge of the practices in these countries. Not only did the presentations spark interest, they also drove the conversation and led to practice exchanges between EFSI members.

Lorenzo Gasparrini (DOMINA) presented the National Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2020 in Italy and highlighted the need for its renewal considering recent developments. He also emphasised the different costs for each type of PHS worker, including the difference between traded and non-traded workers. Peter Hammer (Edenred) provided insights into the situation  of the PHS sector in Germany. He specifically mentioned how despite a willingness to see changes, no actual results have been achieved. Peter also mentioned that undeclared work is a real problem in Germany, as roughly 90% of the workers in the PHS sector are undeclared.

These two presentations resulted in a fruitful discussion on possible solutions to improve the PHS sector in Germany and Italy. The systems of Finland and Belgium were particularly highlighted as being effective to recognise the importance of sector, combatting undeclared work, providing accessible PHS services, and good working conditions. In addition, it was noted that since the majority of the PHS workforce consists of migrant workers, this is highly relevant to the PHS sector, particularly in relation to the sector's role in facilitating their integration and in the development of integration policies.

The last part of the meeting was dedicated to highlighting some of the key achievements of the PHS Dialogue project, including the publication of the PHS Employment Monitor and the three webinars organised by the PHS Social Partners (more information here).    To conclude, the upcoming ScaleUp Project was presented, providing an overview of the key activities and the expected benefits for EFSI’s members.