1. The Social Employers: digitalisation & social dialogue
Thomas Bignal, Director EASPD Conference: Technology & digitalisation in Social Care
Barcelona, 4-5. October 2018

2. The Social Employers: Who are we?
We are the voice for Social Services Employers at EU level
We bring together Employer organisations in Social Services, primarily in care and support services for
older people,
persons with disabilities &
children
and other excluded or disadvantaged persons.

3. Social Services as an important employer
Social services employers are also Europe’s biggest job creators with
Over 10 million staff,
2 million new jobs created since 2008
Expected to grow significantly in response to the increase in demand and despite digitalisation

4. Source: Ian Stewart, Deloitte, Technology and people: The great job-creating machine (UK, 2015)

5. Digitalisation: opportunities for Social Employers?
Improvement of old & creation of new services
Optimised workflows and work processes
Recruitment & improving the attractiveness of the sector
Increasing competitiveness
Better managed workload
Empowering its workforce

6. Digitalisation: challenges for Social Employers?
New ways of work (digital platforms, uberisation of social care) & questions for quality standards, work organisation, social security schemes.
Additional training needs
Funding gap
Organisation of new partnerships
Ethical and legal implications
Equal access and opportunities across Europe
Lack of research/data

7. Social Dialogue: what are we talking about?
Social Dialogue includes “all types of negotiation, consultation or simply exchange of information between, or among, representatives of governments, employers and workers, on issues of common interest related to economic & social policy” (ILO)
Social Dialogue is one of the pillars of our liberal democracies and has contributed significantly to shaping our social welfare models in Europe.
Albeit organised differently across Europe, Social Dialogue has proved to be an important mechanism through which to improve both services and jobs in Social Services.

8. Digitalisation & Social Dialogue in Social Services
Digitalisation is inevitably expanding. It is also disruptive & transforming ways in which services are being organised & provided.
How can traditional social dialogue structures respond to matters which are so difficult to anticipate?
Developing knowledge of specific challenges to the sector
Integrating the issue in social dialogue structures (not just on an ad hoc basis)
Facilitating uptake and guiding appropriate implementation of digital technologies by social services employers

9. European Social Dialogue
The Social Employers want to set-up a sectoral social dialogue committee for social services at EU level:
Allows social partners to negotiate and agree on common solutions
Facilitates the exchange of good practices
Commission exclusively consults the social partners on all EU policy initiatives in the field of employment and social affairs (Art TFEU)
Opportunity to co-legislate EU policies (Art. 155 TFEU)
Social Employers have identified digitalisation as a top priority for their EU Social Dialogue ambitions.

10. Thank you for your attention! Any questions?
For more information on the Social Employers, see also