Still essential, often overlooked: domestic workers in times of crisis

From climate change and geopolitical tension to job loss, the rising cost of living and growing inequalities, we are witnessing an unprecedented, and often overwhelming, moment in history, characterized by multiple intersecting crises. In such times, we go into survival mode, working to safeguard and sustain what we see as essential: our families and our homes.  

In other words, we take care. 

Care work is the essence of our shared humanity. It nurtures our societies and enables our economies. In times of crisis, it is a caring society we need most.  

While most care work is unpaid, substantial amount is provided by paid care workers, many of whom are domestic workers. And domestic workers, like many care workers, regularly continue working through emergencies, caring for children, older persons, and persons with disabilities, frequently at the expense of their own safety and well-being. 

Domestic workers are those who provide direct and indirect care services in or for private households. The ILO estimates there are 75.6 million domestic workers worldwide over the age of 15, yet their contributions often go unrecognized and unprotected. 

Fourteen years ago, on 16 June 2011, the ILO adopted its Domestic Workers Convention, No. 189, which recognizes the significant contribution of domestic workers to the global economy, by enabling paid job opportunities, care provision, and income transfers within and between countries. It calls on ratifying Member States to ensure decent work for domestic workers, on an equal footing with other workers, both in law and in practice. The ILO Resolution concerning decent work and the care economy reaffirmed in 2024 that domestic workers are care providers, and among the least protected workers in the care workforce. 

Evidence suggests the domestic work force will continue to grow. It is estimated that by 2030, an estimated 2.3 billion people will require care services, and many countries are already facing important labour shortages due to aged or ageing societies. Domestic workers represent a minimum of 25 per cent of care workers, and much more in certain contexts. In the face of this care crisis, countries are increasingly turning to domestic workers, often migrant domestic workers, to meet care needs. 

But under what conditions? Domestic work remains undervalued, underpaid, and unregulated, with 81 per cent employed informally, lacking legal and social protections, enduring long working hours, low wages, and limited access to occupational safety and health measures. Domestic workers are also exposed to various forms of abuse, violence and harassment, and frequently lack representation in social dialogue, hindering their ability to advocate for better conditions.  

Despite families often preferring home-based rather than institutional care, investment in the care economy rarely targets domestic workers. And during crises, domestic workers have often found themselves without employment, housing, or social protection – without the care they need to sustain their lives. There is a paradox in calling for investment in care while remaining silent on these inequalities in the women-dominated domestic work sector. 

Since the adoption of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No.189), many countries have extended labour laws to better protect domestic workers and integrated domestic workers into their social security systems. Over the last 14 years, the ILO has supported constituents in over 60 countries to realize the rights and well-being of domestic workers. Despite these strides, however, significant gaps remain. 

There are steps we can take today on the road to make decent work a reality for domestic workers. In doing so, we can begin building a society that is shaped around care, including domestic work, as an essential economic driver and as a prerequisite for shared resilience. 

As the world recovers from any kind of crisis, investment in domestic work and the care economy will help build more resilient, fair, and gender-equitable societies. Governments can ensure that domestic workers are recognized within care policies as providers of care, while also ensuring they have access to labour and social protection and care services that meet their own care needs. Representative workers’ organizations, and organizations representative of domestic workers, play a vital role in giving voice to the sector in social dialogue. Employers can form organizations to reflect their interes in accessing high-quality, affordable, adequate and accessible care services, including by providing decent working conditions within their homes.  

And each of us can also contribute. As domestic workers have cared fully for our homes and families, it is now time for us to care fully for the domestic workers who care for us even in times of crisis. To celebrate domestic workers, the ILO has launched a social media challenge inviting staff and constituents to join the call for decent work for domestic workers.