Topic portal
Domestic workers
Domestic workers provide essential direct and indirect care services in or for households.
Globally, 75.6 million people, most of them women and many migrants are employed in this sector, representing 4.5 per cent of all workers. Despite their critical role in sustaining families, societies, and economies, domestic workers remain largely undervalued, underprotected, and underrepresented.
In 2021, the ILO found that 81 per cent were informally employed, highlighting persistent legal and enforcement gaps. As demand for care rises due to demographic shifts and declining unpaid care, securing decent work for domestic workers through fair reward, strong legal protections, and meaningful representation is more urgent than ever.
Domestic work is care work, it is high time we make it decent work
How do domestic workers fare in your country?
ILO Brief: Centering Reward and Representation for Domestic Workers in the Care Economy
There is no social justice without decent work for domestic workers
Podcast: Is domestic work care work?
Domestic Workers Convention and Recommendation
News and articles
Occupational Safety and Health
One step closer to safer and healthier workplaces through simple acts of care
Care economy
ILO calls for greater recognition and investment in Pakistan’s care economy
Most recent publications
Report
Review of international experience on protecting rights of domestic workers in selected countries
Care at home: Projecting Thailand’s need for national and migrant labour for home-based care for older persons
A theory of change
Decent work for domestic workers through skills development
ILO's work on this topic
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What's going on in the field?
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ILO departments and programmes
Contact info
For additional information on the ILO's Domestic Work topic please contact the Inclusive Labour Markets, Wages and Working Conditions Branch at [email protected]