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ILO report on global domestic worker informality

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2026-10-29 17:56 UTC → 2026-10-30 00:18 UTC · added ~~removed~~

An International Labour Organization (ILO) report indicates that as of 2025, the global domestic workforce has grown to 80 million people. Approximately 83.1% of these workers, or 66.5 million individuals, are engaged in informal employment, marking an increase of 5.1 million informal workers since 2019. Regional data shows that Asia and the Pacific host about half of the global workforce, totaling 40.2 million people, while Africa experienced the largest increase in informal workers, reaching a 93.3% informality rate. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the sector is characterized as precarious and heavily feminized, with women making up 88.6% of the workforce. In this region, the informality rate stands at 75.1%, leaving many without legal contracts or social protections. Specific countries with high rates of domestic work relative to total employment include Trinidad and Tobago (8.4%), Paraguay (7.6%), and Colombia (6.9%), followed by Argentina (6.4%), the Dominican Republic (6.3%), and Jamaica (5.8%). Significant wage disparities persist; on average, domestic workers earn only 53.3% of the monthly wage of other employees, with informal workers earning just 48.7%. Gender gaps are also evident: women, who comprise 77.2% of the sector, earn an average of 48% of the wages of other employees, while men earn 65.8%. Working conditions are often strenuous, with 35.2% of workers logging at least 49 hours per week and 14.6% working 60 hours or more. The ILO is calling for stronger enforcement of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011, to improve wages, social protection, and working-time safeguards. The report, titled “The State of Domestic Work in 2025: 15 Years After Convention No. 189”, emphasizes that informal employment leaves workers without written contracts, pensions, or social security.

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