TRANSNACIONALIZACIJA NJEGE STARIJIH OSOBA U SLOVENIJI: PERSPEKTIVA MIGRANTSKIH RADNICA IZ ZEMALJA BIVŠE JUGOSLAVIJE
TRANSNATIONALIZATION OF ELDERLY CARE IN SLOVENIA: THE PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS FROM THE COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the transnationalisation of eldercare in Slovenia within the broader context of labour migration in the European semi-periphery. Drawing on interviews with migrant care workers–who predominantly come from Bosnia and Herzegovina–and with key stakeholders, the analysis shows that, despite bilateral agreements and a liberalised visa regime, the migration regime between the European Union and so-called “third countries” remains restrictive and generates long-term insecurity. We employ the concepts of bordering practices, differential inclusion, internal borders, status contradiction and the migration industry to uncover the structural challenges faced by migrant women, including housing precarity, difficulties in recognising qualifications, downward social mobility, and excessive workloads. The costs of migration, administrative hurdles and bureaucratic complexity further expose them to economic and social risks. We demonstrate that labour migration in the care sector is not the “triple win” often portrayed in international policy discourse, but rather a zero-sum game: while Slovenia gains inexpensive yet highly skilled labour, Bosnia and Herzegovina loses vital social and reproductive capital. We conclude that this situation requires policymakers to improve labour and migration regimes.

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