The Development of “Personal Services” Policy and Its Impacts on Migrant Labor in France: A Study of Regularization Campaign for Undocumented Migrant Domestic Workers

This paper will focus on the development of “personal services (services à la personne)” policy led by the French State and its impacts on the working conditions of migrant domestic/care workers.  Launched by the “Borloo Plan” in 2005, the “personal services” policy aims at creating new jobs in the household economy sector, largely dominated by informal employment practices. Given that many of the undocumented migrant domestic and care workers provide undeclared work and thereby constitute a large part of this underground economy, it would be of interest to see the consequences of this policy on their status. Discussions will be based on a study of regularization campaign for undocumented migrant domestic workers conducted in the Parisian region, with a special focus on Filipino workers.