Invisible: Nationwide Research on Labor Rights of Domestic Workers in Ukraine

As of now, 59% of domestic workers in Ukraine work informally. Most of them (84%) are women.

These are the findings of the nationwide research about the labor rights of domestic workers in Ukraine presented on October 30, 2023, by Labor Initiatives NGO and the research company Research.ua. This is the first-of-its-kind research in Ukrainededicated to domestic workers and their working conditions. 

The presentation of the research gathered representatives of national union centers, domestic workers, and employment agencies who are intermediaries in domestic workers` employment. Tetiana Tsyba, MP, and the Head of the parliamentary working group on draft law No.5695 about domestic workers, also joined online. Positions of domestic workers were voiced by the Head of the United Home Staff (UHS) – the country`s first NGO uniting domestic workers (mostly nannies and babysitters) and created in 2019 under the legal support of Labor Initiatives experts. 

In March-May 2023, the company Research.ua conducted a survey (in Ukrainian and English) of 450 domestic workers across Ukraine to define their attitude to official/informal employment, freedom of association, the situation with working conditions and remuneration, etc. Moreover, the company carried out 12 in-depth interviews with 4 representatives of three domestic workers` categories – housekeepers, caregivers, and nannies to dive deeper into the realities of their day-to-day work, challenges, and obstacles they face. 

According to the research, the work of domestic workers in Ukraine is formalized through civil law contracts – 12%, contracts with an employment agency – 5%, and employment contracts – 22%. Here, it is worth noting that respondents` understanding of contracts’ legal nature may differ from the legal nature of these contracts under the legislation.

Despite the skeptical opinions of the respondents about official employment, the majority agree that official employment will provide labor guarantees (73%) and increase pensions (64%). At the same time, over 50% of respondents have a fear of loss of income and increased costs of services because of paid taxes in case of official employment. 

“I am not dependent on anyone. You earn what you earn. You can always find work, I even have to abandon some proposals”, said a survey respondent, Liubov, a caregiver. 

Among the advantages of domestic work, respondents outlined the following: a chance to get “real money,” flexible work schedules, working time planning, and priority setting. The drawbacks were defined as routine work and excessive physical exertion. Many housekeepers and nannies believe that their work does not differ from “ordinary female work” at their homes.  

The full-scale invasion has an impact on the domestic service sector. Many internally displaced persons (IDPs) or those who lost work because of war had to become domestic workers. People who used to work as university professors and school teachers become babysitters, nannies, and private tutors. 63% of respondents who work unofficially reported about fewer earnings during wartime, while only 43% who work officially reported such a tendency.  

Other findings of the survey: 

• 59% of respondents reported non-payment or insufficient payment of remuneration for work performed.
• Whereas more than half of respondents indicated that their overtime or weekend work is paid at an increased or double rate, for 45% of respondents, such work is paid at the standard rate. One in four agreed that their employer encourages overtime work without additional payment.
• Duration of vacations differs for those whose employment is unreported and somehow formalized. Overall, 47% of the respondents have the possibility to take from 10 to 27 days of vacation leave. But for 49%, such leave is unpaid. 
• Whereas 62% reported domestic work as an income source job, the vast majority (80%) of respondents believe that domestic work is important and useful for society.
• Over 60% of respondents do not know at all or find it hard to answer about trade unions or professional associations aimed at helping domestic workers. Only 23% indicated other types of organizations, such as job search agencies, charitable foundations, and volunteer organizations, that could somehow assist domestic workers. 
• Three-quarters (74%) of respondents tend to apply to a professional association or other organization that could help domestic workers secure their rights or be a platform for sharing experiences. 

Labor Initiatives team believes that research analytics and data will attract more attention to the situation in the domestic service sector, push forward unions to work with domestic workers, and organize them. In addition, we hope this research will be helpful for legislative regulation in this sphere.

*Detailed results of the quantative survey you can find HERE

**Detailed results of the in-depth interviews you can find HERE (in Ukrainian)