This article defines paid care work and explains why it has become an important arena for research and policy. Drawing on cross-national and country-level analyses of selected occupations, it highlights three findings: first, the employment situation of care workers often mirrors broader, country-specific labour market conditions and problems; second, the State's role as an employer of care workers is changing as governments increasingly outsource such work; and third, social policy regimes also shape opportunities for and conditions of care employment. It concludes that both care workers and care recipients are likely to benefit from improved employment conditions of care work.