Navigating the Gig Economy as a Caregiver: Understanding the Dual Nature of Nanny Work

With the rise of carework platforms, domestic childcare workers such as nannies are increasingly seeking new jobs through technology-mediated marketplaces (TMMs), and scholarly interest in this context has been growing. However, little is known about how these workers navigate their career journeys–from finding motivation and developing skills to seeking job opportunities, choosing families, negotiating terms, and managing job turnover. Through interviews with 21 career nannies, our findings reveal that they face numerous challenges in balancing the dual nature of childcare work throughout their career cycle: a transactional nature pursuing monetary compensation through their labor and a relational nature bonding with employer families for quality care. We argue that the transactional and relational nature of nanny work simultaneously or independently influence each stage of the career cycle, giving rise to three key challenges: balancing these dual natures, building fair and compatible relationships with employers, and maintaining career identity for professional development. We then discuss how the design of TMMs and job-seeking resources can be optimized to address these challenges.