How Platformisation is Shaping the Future of Domestic Work. A Mapping of Home Care and Cleaning Platforms in Six EU Countries

One aspect of demographic ageing is the growing demand for domestic and care services. This highlights the increasingly central role of domestic work. The emergence of digital labour platforms in this context represents a significant shift within a sector characterised by informality, weak labour protections and complex social needs. This paper offers a first comparative mapping of home care and cleaning service platforms across six European countries – Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain – representing different welfare and regulatory systems. The study investigates two questions: (i) Do these platforms contribute to the formalisation of domestic work, or do they risk reinforcing informal practices? (ii) What organisational patterns have emerged across national contexts and how are they shaped by different welfare regimes? By cross-referencing two key dimensions – management of the matching process and regulation of employment relationships – the article develops a fourfold typology of digital platforms: marketplaces, digital agencies, on-demand platforms, and regulated marketplaces. Although all platforms present themselves formally as intermediaries, each type performs this role in distinct ways, with varying implications for employment arrangements and working conditions. Moreover, the findings reveal cross-national variation in terms of the prevalence of digital platforms. Countries characterised by higher public service provision, such as Denmark, have a minimal presence. Beyond national specificities, however, the nature of the service provided – cleaning versus care – constitutes a more salient factor in platform organisational models. The marketplace is more dominant in cleaning services and digital agencies than in care services.