Global Conference Highlights Rights and Protection Gaps for Domestic Workers

A global conference held in Montevideo, Uruguay, brought together governments, employers, and labor organizations to address the ongoing challenges faced by domestic workers, fifteen years after the adoption of the International Labour Organization's Domestic Workers Convention, 2011. The meeting, which concluded on November 5, 2026, focused on strategies to transform written legal rights into effective day-to-day protections for caregivers, cleaners, and household staff.

The conference coincided with the release of new statistical estimates from the ILO, indicating that approximately 80 million people aged 15 and older are employed as domestic workers globally. Out of that total, 66.5 million workers—representing 83.1 percent—remain trapped in informal employment, leaving them largely excluded from standard labor safeguards and social security coverage.

Regional disparities remain stark, particularly in Africa, where the ILO reported that 93.3 percent of domestic workers operate in the informal economy. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region accounts for the largest share of the global domestic workforce with 40.2 million individuals, and informality continues to be nearly universal across the Arab States.

Financial vulnerability is another critical issue highlighted in the ILO data. Globally, domestic workers earn an average of 53.3 percent of the monthly wages received by other employees. Women, who comprise 77.2 percent of the domestic workforce, face even wider pay gaps, earning an average of 48 percent of the monthly wages earned by other employees.

Working hours also remain a significant concern for labor advocates. The ILO brief noted that 35.2 percent of domestic workers labor for at least 49 hours per week, while 14.6 percent work 60 hours or more. Conversely, some domestic workers experience very short hours due to underemployment or fragmented schedules across multiple households.

During the three-day conference in Montevideo, participants examined practical measures to overcome these barriers, including the expansion of social security coverage, the promotion of fair wages and reasonable working hours, and the strengthening of labor inspections. Speakers emphasized that ensuring compliance requires simplifying registration systems and supporting household employers in meeting their legal obligations.

ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes stressed the importance of the current phase, calling for a transition "from recognition to application; from ratification to implementation; from rights on paper to rights exercised in practice."