Publications on domestic work

  1. Publication

    Formalizing domestic work

    05 December 2016

    Many countries around the world are at the onset of a care crisis: with the ageing of the population, and continually increasing rates of female labour participation, families are increasingly turning to domestic workers to care for their homes, children, and ageing parents. While an increasing share of domestic work is part of the formal economy, domestic work remains one of the sectors with the highest share of informal employment. This new ILO report calls for a combination of incentives and compliance to reduce high levels of informality in domestic work.

  2. Publication

    Snapshot: ILO in action, domestic workers

    31 May 2013

    A growing number of countries are taking measures to improve the living and working conditions of domestic workers. But the momentum needs to be stepped up to ensure that domestic workers worldwide enjoy labour rights, just like other workers.

  3. Publication

    Philippines enact new law protecting domestic workers

    18 April 2013

    The Philippines has promulgated a new domestic workers law, namely the Act Instituting Policies for the Protection and Welfare of Domestic Workers (Republic Act 10361), which is also called the Domestic Workers Act.1 It was signed into law by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on 18 January 2013.

  4. Publication

    Thailand: new Ministerial Regulation offers better protection of domestic workers' rights

    28 March 2013

    On 9 November 2012, a new Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2555) entered into force improving workplace rights for domestic workers in the Kingdom of Thailand. Issued under the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998), the Regulation applies to employers employing workers to perform domestic work which does not involve business operations. It aligns several aspects of the legislation with the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and Recommendation (No. 201).

  5. An explanatory brochure

    Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 at a glance

    15 December 2011

    Highlights of the provisions of the Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201. These new standards, adopted in June 2011, are a strong recognition of the economic and social value of domestic work and a call for action to address the existing exclusions of domestic workers from labour and social protection. Given that most domestic workers are women, the new standards are an important step to advance gender equality in the world of work and ensure women’s equal rights and protection under the law.

  6. Publication

    Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers

    15 November 2011

    This booklet presents a set of new international labour standards – Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 concerning decent work for domestic workers - adopted on 16 June 2011 by the ILO’s International Labour Conference.

  7. Publication

    Fact sheet on Domestic Workers' profile and working conditions in the Philippines

    08 November 2011

    This factsheet presents the profile of domestic workers and their employers in the Philippines, and provides an insight into two important aspects of domestic work, namely wages and working hours.

  8. Publication

    Convention No. 189 - Questions and answers

    10 August 2011

    This short factsheet will help you understand what Convention No. 189 is, who it covers, and what minimum standards it sets.