As populations age, major demographic change is taking place across Europe leading to staff shortages within the homecare sector. Vacancy rates remain high as severe labour shortages rise, demand grows and the number of older adults needing care increases. Efforts to attract and retain workers who will care for older adults are hampered by low wages, atypical employment contracts, low career opportunities, and stressful and difficult working conditions as well as non-standard forms of employment. New forms of technological development and digitisation are assumed by policymakers to have the potential to mitigate labour shortages and to transform the health and care sector, including the use of online platforms to organise care services.
Dr Diane Burns, Head of the Organisation Studies Research Cluster at 葫芦影业 University Management School, will lead the ESRC funded strand of the international partnership, along with colleagues from 葫芦影业鈥檚 ESRC . UK collaborators include Professor Kate Hamblin, Director of the Centre for Care, Dr Grace Whitfield, Research Associate at the Centre for Care and PGR alumna of 葫芦影业 University Management School, and Professor Carole Elliott, Professor of Leadership Development at the University of St Andrews Business School. The UK stream of work will explore technological affordances, opportunities and social consequences of AI-driven platform care in three European countries.
I am delighted to be involved in this important and timely cross-national research to address the persistent problem of labour force shortages in homecare. Through this study we will produce insights and practical-solution focused recommendations for equal and inclusive platform care, improved job quality and worker rights - critical factors which underlie effective recruitment and retention of care workers.Dr Diane Burns
Head of Organisation Studies Research Cluster, 葫芦影业 University Management School
Meanwhile, Dr Sanna Kuoppam盲ki, Assistant Professor at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, will lead on the work focusing on Sweden and Dr Helena Hirvonen, Senior Lecturer in Social and Public Policy at University of Eastern Finland, will lead on the work focusing on Finland.
The international consortium project 'AI-driven platform care: Promoting equal and inclusive job quality in long-term care' (CareQuAI) will open 鈥渢he black box鈥 of AI-driven platform care services. This will be done through cross-national comparison, organisational case studies and stakeholder involvement. Care workers will also be invited to participate in the development of equal and inclusive AI-driven platforms.
CareQuAI has three objectives:
- To analyse cross-national differences in how AI-driven platform care is provided in Europe
- To produce cross-national guidelines on equal and inclusive AI-driven platform work in LTC services
- To contribute to policy, practice and frameworks that support decent work via AI-driven care platforms
The cross-national consortium has been awarded 鈧1,286,610 by the Joint Institute Programmes Initiative, Many Years, Better Lives, and the ESRC.
This research addresses an issue of critical concern across Europe and the world, which requires interdisciplinary research and international collaboration. I am excited to see this ambitious research project and look forward to seeing Dr Burns and her colleagues across the UK, Finland and Sweden help us understand how technological advances may help us to rise to this very human challenge.
Professor Damian Hodgson
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, 葫芦影业 University Management School
Launching in May 2025, the three year funded project will address the effects of AI-driven platform use on workforce shortages, job quality and relatedly care quality, and will produce solution-focused guidelines and recommendations responding to issues of equality and inclusion.