Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Loss of Jobs and Hours Among Domestic Workers 15 / June / 2020 1
X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 1
Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers
X Date: 15 / June /2020
X 55 million domestic workers significantly impacted by COVID-19
The ILO estimates that, in the early stages of the pandemic, on 15 March, 49.3 per cent of domestic workers were significantly impacted. This figure peaked at 73.7 per cent on 15 May, before reducing to 72.3 per cent on 4 June.
The pandemic has had a particularly dire It also looked at four different moments: impact on domestic workers around the March 15, April 15, May 15, and June 4. Percent of world. At the beginning of June 2020, domestic workers These estimates capture specifically the number of COVID-19 infections had significantly the impact in terms of loss of jobs or exceeded 7.3 million cases affecting most impacted by working hours and remuneration, taking countries and territories.1 As the number COVID-19: into account their prior access to social of cases and fear of contagion has spread, security. In other words, for the purposes so too have confinement measures. To of these estimates, domestic workers % facilitate physical distancing, most countries who were in lockdown and who were not 49,3 adopted either full or partial lockdown previously registered to social security, measures to prevent transmission. 15 March 2020 were considered to be at higher risk of While domestic workers have suffered losing their jobs and income, and therefore many kinds of impacts resulting from the significantly impacted. Conversely, domestic pandemic, one of the main consequences of workers who were in lockdown, but who % COVID-19 has been a reduction of working were registered to social security, faced 73,7 hours and, in some cases, a loss of jobs, a lower risk of losing their jobs or income 15 May 2020 resulting from fear and restricted mobility during the pandemic. As such, not all of associated with confinement measures. This them were considered to be significantly fact sheet provides a global and regional impacted. The estimates do not take into view of the proportion of domestic workers account whether or not they received % who either lost their job or saw their hours income replacement or support as a 72,3 reduced during the lockdown period. The part of emergency measures taken. 4 June 2020 estimates look at the impact on both male and female domestic workers, as well as those in formal and informal employment.
1 Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/ (accessed on 11 June 2020) X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 2
The proportion of domestic workers who were per cent) were impacted in the South Asia subregion. significantly impacted varied across regions and time, Finally, in Northern, Southern and Western Europe, the depending on the timing and extent of lockdown impact fluctuated from 36.6 per cent on 15 March, before measures. Thus, in Africa, only 34.6 per cent of domestic peaking at 50.1 per cent on 15 April. These numbers are workers were significantly impacted on 15 March, but this significantly lower than in other regions, in part because number rose to 78.7 per cent by 15 April. In the Americas, more domestic workers are in formal employment where the number of new cases per day remains high, as measured by registration to social security. While around 74 per cent of domestic workers were still registration to social security helps reduce the impact significantly impacted by 4 June. In Asia and the Pacific, on domestic workers, as we will see, formal employment 79.4 per cent of domestic workers were significantly alone has not fully protected domestic workers from the impacted by 15 May, but a much higher proportion (87.5 impacts of lockdown measures.
Figure 1. Percentage of domestic workers significantly impacted by lockdown measures adopted to prevent the propagation of COVID-19 (%, 2020)
World
100 Domestic workers 80 74 72 Domestic workers 60 55 significantly impacted 49 56 55 40 44 Domestic workers 35 significantly impacted 20 in informal employment
0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Notes: ILO calculation based on national labour force or similar household surveys from 137 countries representing 91 per cent of global employment. Absolute numbers expressed in thousands extrapolated for 2020. ‘Significantly impacted’ refers to a reduction in the number of hours of work, reduction in earnings and job losses.
76 per cent of domestic workers who were significantly necessarily soften the blow for domestic workers. impacted were in informal employment. This means Fear of COVID-19, paired with restrictions on mobility that the vast majority of domestic workers who lost their prevented domestic workers in both formal and informal jobs or saw a reduction in their working hours were not employment from getting to work. In countries with registered to social security, and thus were not eligible high levels of lockdown, domestic workers were simply for unemployment insurance. While a few countries unable to go to work. In most cases, lack of information extended income support to informal workers during the and low employer awareness of their responsibilities is pandemic, these very rarely were accessible to domestic likely to have led households not to cover the domestic workers. The loss of income, lack of access to social workers’ salary if they were not going to work. While security, and lack of income support has pushed many formal employment is normally associated with being domestic workers and their families further into poverty, registered to social security, unemployment coverage is making it difficult even to put food on the table. not necessarily among the benefits to which domestic workers have a right. As a result, even formal domestic Those in formal employment also suffered job losses workers have suffered from the impact of COVID-19. and reduction in hours worked. While formality is normally associated with better protection, it did not X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 3
Live-in domestic workers may not have lost their jobs, not need their salaries anyway, since they could not go but they are suffering important impacts nonetheless. out. In many countries, live-in domestic workers are The data presented here show the impact of lockdown predominantly migrants who rely on their pay to support measures that prevented domestic workers from going their families in their countries of origin. Non-payment to work. As a result, the research found no relevant of wages and the closure of remittance services have results for countries or regions where domestic workers therefore also left the families of migrant domestic are predominantly living with their employers, such as workers at risk of poverty and hunger. Some domestic in Arab States. Although live-in domestic workers have workers have also been found in the streets, after their mostly continued to work, in confinement with their employers dismissed them for fear of catching the virus, employers, reports from the field indicate they too have putting them at risk of trafficking. These practices are suffered important impacts. Many worked longer hours, demonstrative of the discrimination faced by many due to school closures, and more demanding cleaning domestic workers. Restrictions on international mobility tasks. In other cases, employers have stopped paying prevented these domestic workers from returning home their live-in domestic workers, due to their own financial to their families. circumstances, or a belief that domestic workers did
X ANNEX 1: METHODOLOGY
These estimates are based on national labour force Four different points in time are considered to assess or similar household surveys from 137 countries the impact of lockdown measures: 15th of March, 15th representing 91 per cent of global employment. The of April, 15th of May and 4th of June. Only the immediate results for the Arab States are not presented in Annex effects of lockdown at a given point in time is assessed. 2 below given the low level of representation, which equals to 50 per cent. Absolute numbers are expressed Main hypothesis in thousands and extrapolated for 2020. ‘Significantly Domestic workers are considered as significantly impacted’ refers to a reduction in the number of hours of impacted by lockdown measures given the informal or work, reduction in earnings, and job losses. formal nature of their job and the level of lockdown. Domestic workers in informal employment, characterized Level of lockdown in countries by a lack of or insufficient social and employment Based on the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response protection are considered as more likely to be impacted Tracker, the level of lockdown in a country is defined in case of reduction of hours of work or job losses, both on the basis of 3 criteria that have a direct effect on the resulting in income losses without alternative income ability to get to the workplace and earn an income for source. domestic workers, namely: i) stay at home requirements, X In situations of full lockdown: Most domestic ii) closure of public transportation; and iii) restrictions workers in informal employment (90 percent) and on internal mobility. These criteria affect primarily 50 per cent of those in formal employment are domestic workers who do not live with their employers. considered as significantly impacted in the sense As such, impacts on live-in domestic workers were not that they don’t have an effective access to benefits systematically taken into account. to compensate for the reduction in hours of work X Full lockdown: These are countries that have or job loss. Those in informal employment do not taken at least “Stay at home requirements” and benefit by definition from any income replacement “Restrictions on internal movement” on a mandatory and a significant share of domestic workers in formal basis and “Close of public transport” either on a employment may be covered for pension but not for mandatory or voluntary basis. unemployment benefits. X Partial lockdown: for countries not considered in full X In countries in partial lockdown: Most domestic lockdown, at least one of the three measures is taken workers in informal employment (90 per cent) and on a mandatory basis. 25 per cent of those in formal employment are considered as significantly impacted. X Weak lockdown: not any of the three selected measures are taken on a mandatory basis. Regional X In countries in weak lockdown, 33 per cent of differences within countries are not taken into domestic workers in informal employment are account. considered as significantly impacted and 10 per cent of domestic workers in formal employment. X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 4
X ANNEX 2: DATA
Percentage of domestic workers significantly impacted: total, informal and women in the world and by region (%, 2020)
World
100 Domestic workers 80 74 72 Domestic workers 60 55 significantly impacted 49 56 55 40 44 Domestic workers 35 significantly impacted 20 in informal employment
0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
World: total and women
100
80 Domestic workers | TOTAL 74 72 60 Domestic workers 55 significantly impacted | TOTAL 40 49 50 49 41 32 Domestic workers 20 significantly impacted | WOMEN 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 5
Africa
100 Domestic workers 79 80 72 72 Domestic workers 60 74 significantly impacted 35 66 66 40 Domestic workers significantly impacted 32 20 in informal employment
0 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June % impacted among domestic workers
Africa: total and women
100
80 Domestic workers | TOTAL 79 72 72 60 57 Domestic workers 40 35 50 50 significantly impacted | TOTAL
20 24 Domestic workers significantly impacted | WOMEN 0 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June % impacted among domestic workers X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 6
Americas
100
75 74 Domestic workers 80 70 Domestic workers 60 significantly impacted 30 40 43 41 43 Domestic workers significantly impacted 20 in informal employment 17 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Americas: total and women
100
80 70 75 74 Domestic workers | TOTAL 60 65 66 66 Domestic workers 40 30 significantly impacted | TOTAL
20 27 Domestic workers significantly impacted | WOMEN 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 7
Latin America and the Caribbean
100
78 Domestic workers 80 73 77 Domestic workers 60 significantly impacted 59 58 30 56 40 Domestic workers significantly impacted 20 24 in informal employment
0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Latin America and the Caribbean: total and women
100
78 80 73 77 Domestic workers | TOTAL 69 69 60 69 Domestic workers 40 significantly impacted | TOTAL 30 20 27 Domestic workers significantly impacted | WOMEN 0 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June % impacted among domestic workers X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 8
Asia and the Pacific
100
79 Domestic workers 80 76
63 Domestic workers 60 64 43 62 significantly impacted 40 47 Domestic workers 39 significantly impacted 20 in informal employment
0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Asia and the Pacific: total and women
100
80 Domestic workers | TOTAL 79 76 60 63 Domestic workers 40 43 47 44 significantly impacted | TOTAL 37 20 27 Domestic workers significantly impacted | WOMEN 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 9
Europe and Central Asia
100 Domestic workers 80 Domestic workers 60 53 significantly impacted 45 40 32 Domestic workers 36 significantly impacted 20 in informal employment 24 19 21 13 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Europe and Central Asia: total and women
100
80 Domestic workers | TOTAL
60 53 45 Domestic workers 36 significantly impacted | TOTAL 40 46 32 39 31 20 27 Domestic workers significantly impacted | WOMEN 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June X Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on loss of jobs and hours among domestic workers 15 / June / 2020 10
Northern, Southern and Western Europe
100
80 Domestic workers
Domestic workers 60 50 significantly impacted 37 41 40 24 Domestic workers significantly impacted 20 in informal employment 19 13 15 16 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
Central and Western Asia
100
80 Domestic workers
60 60 59 Domestic workers 60 significantly impacted
40 26 Domestic workers 40 40 39 significantly impacted 20 in informal employment 19 0
% impacted among domestic workers 15th March 15th April 15th May 4th June
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