← 2026-10-28 edition · Sourced reporting
New domestic-work estimates expose a global protection gap
As of 2026-10-28 · Publication details
The work behind other people’s day[1]
Global 2025 estimate: about 80 million domestic workers, 66.5 million informally employed.
Keep the pay comparison honest[2]
53.3% compares monthly wages with other employees, not hourly equal-work pay.
Progress is uneven[3]
More than half of comparable countries reduced informality; no universal deterioration.
Check the rule where you work[4]
Check applicable local protections; USAGov links apply to the United States.
Global ILO 2025 employment estimates reported October 27 by UN News. U.S. worker-rights help is separate. Informal employment is not an individual legal, tax or immigration-status finding. Cards are record checks, not a universal sequence, duration or common quantitative scale.
Read the records as a table
| Record | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The work behind other people’s day | Global 2025 estimate: about 80 million domestic workers, 66.5 million informally employed. [1] |
| Keep the pay comparison honest | 53.3% compares monthly wages with other employees, not hourly equal-work pay. [2] |
| Progress is uneven | More than half of comparable countries reduced informality; no universal deterioration. [3] |
| Check the rule where you work | Check applicable local protections; USAGov links apply to the United States. [4] |
ILO’s new estimates, reported by UN News, put 66.5 million domestic workers in informal employment in 2025. The global scale matters, but an individual’s rights still depend on applicable law and coverage. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Still open: Global estimates, not a U.S. count or proof every informal worker lacks every legal right. All open questions ↓
U.S. workers: find the wage, safety or employment-protection route for your question →Read the full story
The reporting question: What do the new estimates mean for people working in other people’s homes?
The work behind other people’s day
UN News reports 66.5 million informally employed domestic workers out of about 80 million worldwide in 2025. The underlying statistical brief and methods remain uncaptured under installed policy, so these are attributed rounded estimates, not an NTDS statistical reconstruction. [1]
Keep the pay comparison honest
The reported 53.3% compares domestic workers’ average monthly wages with other employees’ monthly wages. Hours and job composition differ. It cannot establish an hourly equal-work penalty or one household’s lawful pay rate. [2]
Progress is uneven
More than half of countries with comparable data reduced informality since 2019, according to the same account. That counterpoint rules out a claim that every country is deteriorating; it does not establish universal improvement. [3]
Check the rule where you work
For U.S. workers and household employers, USAGov routes questions to wage laws, workplace safety and other employment protections. Check coverage and state exceptions with the responsible agency. Outside the U.S., these links establish no entitlement. [4]
Archive photograph · 2022-07-17 · Japan; exact store not identified in the source metadata
- 2 source records
- Original reporting
- UN News, reporting ILO
- USAGov / General Services Administration
How we know4 scoped claims · 2 source recordsView evidence
Each claim keeps its full assertion, date, source passage and limits. Source counts describe records, not independent corroboration.
1.The work behind other people’s dayAttributed
UN News reports 66.5 million informally employed domestic workers out of about 80 million worldwide in 2025. The underlying statistical brief and methods remain uncaptured under installed policy, so these are attributed rounded estimates, not an NTDS statistical reconstruction.
- Scope
- Global ILO 2025 employment estimates reported October 27 by UN News. U.S. worker-rights help is separate. Informal employment is not an individual legal, tax or immigration-status finding.
- Evidence passage
- Opening estimate and “Invisible, undervalued”, global employment total.
- As of
- 2026-10-28
- Limit
- Global estimates, not a U.S. count or proof every informal worker lacks every legal right.
Retrieved 2026-10-28T11:26:59.913Z · UN News, reporting ILO
Supports only the cited visible passages. Retrieval does not establish accuracy, independence, completeness or downstream effects.
2.Keep the pay comparison honestAttributed
The reported 53.3% compares domestic workers’ average monthly wages with other employees’ monthly wages. Hours and job composition differ. It cannot establish an hourly equal-work penalty or one household’s lawful pay rate.
- Scope
- Global ILO 2025 employment estimates reported October 27 by UN News. U.S. worker-rights help is separate. Informal employment is not an individual legal, tax or immigration-status finding.
- Evidence passage
- “Difficult hours and low pay”, wage comparison and long/short-hour discussion.
- As of
- 2026-10-28
- Limit
- Monthly comparison, not hourly equal-work pay or a causal discrimination estimate.
Retrieved 2026-10-28T11:26:59.913Z · UN News, reporting ILO
Supports only the cited visible passages. Retrieval does not establish accuracy, independence, completeness or downstream effects.
3.Progress is unevenAttributed
More than half of countries with comparable data reduced informality since 2019, according to the same account. That counterpoint rules out a claim that every country is deteriorating; it does not establish universal improvement.
- Scope
- Global ILO 2025 employment estimates reported October 27 by UN News. U.S. worker-rights help is separate. Informal employment is not an individual legal, tax or immigration-status finding.
- Evidence passage
- “Some progress”, first paragraph.
- As of
- 2026-10-28
- Limit
- Comparable-country subset; full country list and statistical uncertainty unavailable.
Retrieved 2026-10-28T11:26:59.913Z · UN News, reporting ILO
Supports only the cited visible passages. Retrieval does not establish accuracy, independence, completeness or downstream effects.
4.Check the rule where you workSupported
For U.S. workers and household employers, USAGov routes questions to wage laws, workplace safety and other employment protections. Check coverage and state exceptions with the responsible agency. Outside the U.S., these links establish no entitlement.
- Scope
- Global ILO 2025 employment estimates reported October 27 by UN News. U.S. worker-rights help is separate. Informal employment is not an individual legal, tax or immigration-status finding.
- Evidence passage
- Labor laws and worker protection: Wage laws; Where to report workplace safety violations; Workers’ compensation.
- As of
- 2026-10-28
- Limit
- U.S.-only official routes; no individual eligibility finding.
Retrieved 2026-10-28T11:29:41.681Z · USAGov / General Services Administration
Supports only the cited visible passages. Retrieval does not establish accuracy, independence, completeness or downstream effects.
What remains open.
- Global estimates, not a U.S. count or proof every informal worker lacks every legal right.
- Monthly comparison, not hourly equal-work pay or a causal discrimination estimate.
- Comparable-country subset; full country list and statistical uncertainty unavailable.
- U.S.-only official routes; no individual eligibility finding.
A corrected original record, verified changed status, missing underlying documentation or measured outcome at this scope requires a separately preserved version and fresh exact-source review.
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