Barcelona City Council and the Department of Social Rights of the Generalitat de Catalunya have signed a collaboration protocol between the two institutions with the aim of promoting a new pole in the care economy sector. The Councillor for Economic Promotion and Employment, Feminisms, Equality and Democratic Memory of the City Council, Raquel Gil, and the Secretary General of the Department of Social Rights, Oriol Amorós y March, formalised the agreement.
In this case, Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, as promoter of the new centres of economic activity being promoted by the Consistory to accelerate the growth and positioning of strategic sectors in the city, has signed this agreement through which it allocates the 5,000 m² facility located on Carrer Almogàvers to the promotion of the care economy. This initiative is part of the municipal strategy Barcelona Green Deal, which is committed to diversifying the economy by promoting different sectors, such as the care economy, in order to strengthen it and guarantee better quality employment.
A new pole to boost the care economy
The aim of the new centre is to contribute to boosting the care economy sector, which will address the main challenges facing the sector in order to provide an efficient response to the current and future demands of care for dependent elderly people. The new centre will incorporate a laboratory with the capacity to innovate and test new models of care provision.
This collaboration will include the identification of other actions to boost the care economy sector in Barcelona, contributing to a sustainable, inclusive and fair economic model. Therefore, with this protocol, an agreement will be drawn up that will include the programmes, services and activities to be developed, as well as the management and exploitation model for the future.
The social need for investment in the care sector
In Catalonia and Europe, the future is predicted to see a significant growth in the population of elderly people, which implies a review of the structures and services for the care of the elderly. Currently, the population over 65 years of age represents 19% of the total population in Barcelona, and this figure is expected to reach 24% by 2033. At present, the social services sector, which includes care work, accounts for 1.3% of GVA and 65,000 jobs in the city of Barcelona.
The professional care sector is marked by precariousness, the black economy and recruitment under the special regime for domestic workers. The majority of workers have salaries 39% below the average for the city, with a temporary nature that is 13% above the average, and a predominance of part-time contracts. In addition to this picture, it is worth adding the gender perspective, since the majority of workers in the sector are women, especially those in vulnerable situations, who represent more than 75% of the sector, especially if they are migrants with urgent socio-economic needs.
This scenario highlights the importance of the care sector. The signing of this protocol aims to promote the care economy as a strategic sector of the city with opportunities to incorporate innovation through technology, dignify the employment of workers, and improve care for the elderly.