Labor Standards Seek to Protect Domestic Workers Worldwide

The International Labour Organization, a MacArthur grantee, is seeking to apply labor standards to the informal economy for the first time, offering protection to an estimated 100 million domestic workers worldwide who care for families and households. The standards require that these workers – 83 percent of whom are women or girls, and many are migrant workers – be provided with reasonable hours of work; weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours; a limit on in-kind payment; clear information on terms and conditions of employment; and respect for fundamental principles and rights at work, including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.