94% of domestic workers lack comprehensive social security: ILO

Only 6% of domestic workers worldwide have access to comprehensive social protection, according to a new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). This means over 94% of them lack access to the full range of protections, covering medical care, sickness, unemployment, old age, employment injury, family, maternity, invalidity and survivors’ benefits.

According to the report, about half of all domestic workers have no coverage at all, while the remaining half is legally covered by at least one benefit. The extension of effective coverage has lagged significantly behind that of legal coverage. "Only one-in-five domestic workers are actually covered in practice because the vast majority are employed informally," the report finds.

Covid has made “glaringly apparent” the social protection coverage gaps experienced by domestic workers. “They were among the worst-hit during the pandemic, with many losing their jobs and livelihoods,” says the report. Many who kept their jobs were often exposed to the disease without sufficient protective equipment. “However, domestic workers could rarely rely on adequate health protection, sickness or unemployment benefits, further exposing their vulnerabilities,” finds the report.

"Despite their vital contribution to society, supporting households with their most personal and care needs, most of the world’s 75.6 million domestic workers face multiple barriers to enjoying legal coverage and effective access to social security, the report explains. They are often excluded from national social security legislation," it adds.

As 76.2% of domestic workers (57.7 million people) are women, such social protection gaps leave women particularly vulnerable, the data shows.

"While few domestic workers enjoy comprehensive social protection, they are more likely to be eligible for old-age, disability and survivors’ benefits and medical care, and, to a slightly lesser degree, for maternity benefits and sickness benefits. Most of them do not have access to social insurance schemes' benefits related to unemployment or employment injury," it adds.

Region-wise, in Europe and Central Asia, 57.3% of domestic workers are legally covered for all benefits. A little more than 10% have such a right in the Americas; almost none are fully covered in the Arab states, Asia and the Pacific and Africa — regions that include countries where significant numbers of domestic workers are employed.

The report calls for ensuring that domestic workers enjoy comprehensive social protection as favourable as those existing for other workers. The ILO report says that from easing administrative processes to simplifying registration and designing a benefit system, there’s a lot to be done to ensure all necessary benefits reach the domestic workers. "Customise and simplify administrative procedures to ensure that legal coverage translates into coverage in practice. Simplify and streamline registration and payment procedures and develop adequate financing mechanisms. Design benefit systems to suit the specificities of domestic work. Raise awareness."