ILO Director-General: Care workers deserve decent work, dignity and respect

Every day, millions of care workers provide care and support for children, older persons and persons with disabilities. Although their work is essential, care workers continue to work excessively long hours and lack adequate labour and social protection.

Domestic workers are a vital part of the care workforce. They are mostly women, and they earn less than half the average wages of other employees.

Providing high-quality care and support depends on decent work for care workers. We must invest in comprehensive, rights-based care and support for all, and ensure all care workers are adequately protected and remunerated. We need to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work, and ensure reward and representation for care workers. This is the ILO 5R Framework for decent care work.

On International Day of Care and Support, let us commit to make decent work a reality for all care workers. Because care is essential for our societies and our economies. And care workers deserve decent work, dignity and respect.