arbiter
JournalsAccount

The Value of Care: Brokering Work Conditions and Wages within a Transnational Care System

Kamil Matuszczyk et al.

ILR Review (Industrial and Labor Relations Review)2026https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939261431220article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This article explains how the triadic brokering system in the European Union affects the conditions of work and pay of mobile care workers. Using original survey data gathered from Polish care workers in Germany, the authors found that workers earn less money the more hours they work. Based on qualitative interviews with care workers and representatives of labor market intermediaries, they argue that the brokering relationship is responsible for the misalignment between working hours and pay. Workers negotiate their pay and working hours within two distinct contexts: in the domestic sphere with their German clients (care recipients and their families) and in interactions with care agencies in Poland. The article also identifies the conditions under which workers are able to benefit from, or are disadvantaged by, the brokering relationship. Findings suggest that these consist of a combination of individual (e.g., language proficiency, professional care skills) and structural conditions (e.g., demographic changes, EU mobile rights).

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939261431220

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{kamil2026,
  title        = {{The Value of Care: Brokering Work Conditions and Wages within a Transnational Care System}},
  author       = {Kamil Matuszczyk et al.},
  journal      = {ILR Review (Industrial and Labor Relations Review)},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/00197939261431220},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

The Value of Care: Brokering Work Conditions and Wages within a Transnational Care System

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.