Asia Pacific has more domestic workers
Out of more than 21 million people across Asia and the Pacific - 80
percent of them are women and employed as domestic workers, according to
a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
But although Asia Pacific has more domestic workers than any other
part of the world, the report found that the region lags other regions
in guaranteeing domestic workers the basic work-related rights and
protections that other workers have, in particular related to working
time, minimum wages and maternity protection. Only domestic workers in
the Middle East (many of whom are migrants from Asia) have weaker legal
entitlements.
The report, Domestic workers across the world, estimates that 52.6
million people worldwide - more than four out of five of them women -
are employed as domestic workers, a group equivalent to the entire
working population of Vietnam. Of these, 21.5 million (41 percent)
domestic workers are in Asia Pacific and 19.6 million (37 percent) in
Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Asia Pacific one in thirteen (7.8 per cent) of all women with a
waged job were domestic workers in 2010.
Despite the significant numbers of people involved, the report found
large differences between the rights and conditions experienced by
domestic employees and other waged workers, particularly in Asia.
According to the report only three percent of Asia's domestic workers
are entitled to a weekly day of rest, whereas globally more than half of
domestic workers have this right.
In addition, only one per cent of domestic workers in Asia Pacific
have statutory limits to their normal maximum weekly working hours; by
contrast, more than three-quarters of their counterparts in Latin
America enjoy such protection. Just 12 percent of domestic workers in
Asia Pacific are covered by statutory minimum wage legislation. Only the
Middle East has lower coverage. In all other regions of the world more
than six out of seven domestic workers can expect to be paid at least
the minimum wage.
For maternity leave and maternity cash benefits, 76 percent of Asia
Pacific's domestic workers have no entitlement.
ILO News - |
