Four in five domestic workers lack formal employment protections, according to the UN’s International Labour Organization, or ILO. They are more than twice as likely as other employees to lack effective protection for their rights at work and access to social support. Their jobs include cleaning homes, preparing meals, and caring for children, older people, and people with disabilities.
An estimated 80 million people worked in domestic jobs worldwide in 2025, and women accounted for 77.2 percent of them. Average monthly earnings were only 53.3 percent of those of other employees. For domestic workers in informal jobs, which lack formal benefits and protections, the figure fell to 48.7 percent. This pay gap has widened since 2019.
Working hours are another concern. More than one-third of domestic workers worked at least 49 hours a week, while nearly 15 percent worked 60 hours or more. Others had too few paid hours and needed to move between several households to make a living.
However, among countries with comparable figures, more than half have reduced informal domestic employment since 2019. Forty countries have formally accepted ILO Convention No. 189, an international agreement setting standards for decent domestic work. ILO director Sahra Razavi called for more countries to accept it, stressing that domestic workers deserve the same rights and protections as other employees.
