Social protection for domestic workers: key policy trends and statistics

This working paper examines the global situation of social security provisions for domestic workers in 163 countries, analysing trends, policies and gaps in terms of legal and effective social security coverage for domestic workers.

Key findings reveal that of the 67 million domestic workers worldwide, 60 million are excluded from coverage of social security. The largest gaps in social security coverage for the domestic work sector are concentrated in developing countries, where few nations provide legal coverage for this sector. However, social security coverage deficits for domestic workers also exist in industrialised countries.

Further findings note that women comprise the majority of domestic workers, accounting for 80 per cent of all workers in the sector globally. Migrant domestic workers, estimated at approximately 11.5 million persons worldwide, face even greater discrimination than that experienced by domestic workers in general.