Four in five domestic workers worldwide lacked formal job protections in 2025, according to a new report by the UN labor organisation.

Global Report on Informal Employment

In 2025, an estimated 66.5 million domestic workers out of 80 million globally were informally employed. Sahra Razavi, an ILO director briefing journalists in Geneva on Tuesday, noted that these workers make millions of lives possible by cleaning homes, preparing meals, and caring for children and older persons, yet their contributions remain undervalued. Africa experienced the biggest surge in domestic workers since 2019 with an additional 4.2 million joining, and informal jobs reached 93.3 per cent in Africa, while being nearly universal in the Arab States. Europe and Central Asia registered the lowest regional informality rate, where more than one in three domestic workers are paid informally. Globally, women accounted to 77.2 per cent of domestic workers. Wages remain a major concern, with domestic workers earning on average 53.3 per cent of the monthly wages of other employees, dropping to 48.7 per cent for those in informal employment, with the gap widening since 2019.

Vulnerabilities and Progress

Domestic workers are twice as likely as other employees to lack effective labor and social protection. More than one-third of domestic workers endured at least 49 hours per week, and nearly 15 per cent worked 60 hours or more, while others faced short hours for little pay. Despite these figures, progress has been noted as more than half of countries with comparable data have reduced informality since 2019, and 40 countries have ratified ILO Convention No. 189. However, Ms Razavi emphasized the need to increase ratifications, particularly in Asia and the Arab States.

Source: Cosmo News Desk