Tackling Europe Demographic Challenge by Attracting and Retaining Care Workers (PHS and LTC)
Virtual webinar: Register here
18 December 2025. 9:00-10:00 CET
With the European population aged 65 and over projected to increase from 21.6 % in 2024 to 32.5 % in 2100, the region is confronting a significant demographic challenge, leading to a heightened demand for care work.
In the EU, care workers constitute approximately 3% of the total workforce. Around 6.2 million people were employed as care workers in 2022, and 4.3 million job openings will need to be filled by 2035 to meet the demand.
However, according to the European Labour Authority (ELA, 2021), there are an estimated 6.8 million undeclared workers under the narrow definition of personal and household services (PHS)- including 2.1 million in the care sector and 4.7 million in direct household employment- while the broader definition raises the estimate to 9.2 million.
The care sector, which includes both personal household services (PHS) and long-term care (LTC), is grappling with severe challenges in attracting and retaining skilled workers. High turnover rates, workforce shortages, undeclared work and issues of underappreciation and underpayment being prevalent.
With an aging population and increasing demand for personalized care, the need for dedicated, compassionate, and skilled care workers has never been more critical.
This Policies and Practices session will focus on:
- Challenges in attracting and retaining care workers (poor working conditions, lack of skills training, undeclared work)
- Strategies for recruiting care workers (incentives and benefits)
- Retention strategies (training and advancement opportunities, use of technology, better working conditions).
To address these questions, we will welcome:
|
|
Dana-Carmen BACHMANN, Head of Unit, DG EMPL, European Commission
Dana Carmen Bachmann is currently Head of Unit in Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission, being responsible for social protection, including access to social protection, adequacy of pensions and long-term care.
Prior to this, Dana was Head of Unit in DG EMPL (since 2015) and DG EAC (since 2011) responsible for Vocational Education and Training, Apprenticeships and Adult Learning.
Prior to joining the European Commission, she worked at the European Court of Human Rights and European Court of Justice. She has a bachelor degree in law from the Faculty of Law in Bucharest, a bachelor degree in European Law from University Paris I, and masters and postgraduate studies in International law and International relations and conflict resolution.
|
|
|
|
Ana LLENA-NOZAL, Long-Term Care Lead, OECD
Ana Llena-Nozal is leading the long-term care work at OECD since January 2018. She coordinates several topics on long-term care and ageing such as dementia care, the future of the long-term care workforce, support for family caregivers, social protection and funding in long-term care, quality of long-term care, policies to promote healthy ageing and end-of-life care. She has been leading work on advising countries in long-term care reforms for Greece, Poland, Croatia and Lithuania.
She joined the OECD in 2006 where she has worked in various projects related to health, employment and social policy. She has been a member of the income inequality team working on policies to address social mobility, she has also been part of the team reviewing sickness and disability policies in selected OECD countries and was also one of the authors of the Employment Outlook, working on issues related to health and work.
Before joining the OECD, Ms. Llena-Nozal was a researcher at the Institute of Development Studies (Sussex University), Utrecht University and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her previous research includes international comparative projects in the areas of education, labour market policy and health inequalities. Ana Llena-Nozal is Spanish and has a degree in development studies from the London School of Economics (MSc.) and in economics from the Pompeu Fabra University (MSc) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (PhD).
|
|
|
|
Leonor TAVARES, Policy Director, European Federation for Services to Individuals
Leonor de Azevedo Tavares joined EFSI in June 2024, where she works on EU employment and social affairs policy, which she believes to be a key area for the EU project. She now serves as Policy Director, leading the association’s policy work and management.
Before joining EFSI, she worked in both consultancy and a trade association on EU environmental policy in Brussels. Previously in Lisbon, she worked for the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU at the Ministry of Justice, focusing on fundamental rights. Leonor holds a law degree from the University of Lisbon and an Advanced Master’s in International and European Public Law from KU Leuven.
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Logistics
When
Thursday 18 December, 2025
Where
Virtual Event - Zoom
