DOMESTIC WORKERS CONTINUE TO FACE HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT COMPARED TO JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
9 in 10 surveyed domestic workers earn $15 or less/hour
Domestic Workers Economic Situation Report · March 2021
Source: La Alianza surveys, NDWA Labs
Released: April 2, 2021
*Last updated on April 7, 2021
Domestic workers are the nannies, homecare workers and house cleaners whose work is essential to our economy, and yet they are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of workers. Even before COVID-19, domestic workers earned less than the average US worker, and were three times as likely to be living in poverty. La Alianza survey data of Spanish-speaking domestic workers shows how the pandemic has amplified the vulnerability of this workforce, who continue to face low wages, and high levels of unemployment and underemployment. A contextual note regarding our findings: domestic workers, and particularly house cleaners, often have multiple employers. This means they have to schedule several jobs in a given week in order to make ends meet.
Jobs and Wages
March unemployment and underemployment for domestic workers continue to be very high. However, there was a decrease in unemployment compared to the past couple of months.
31% domestic worker respondents had ZERO work hours per week in March, compared to 34% in February and 37% in January.
The vast majority of respondents are underemployed. 87% of domestic worker respondents who had at least one hour of work per week said they wanted to work more hours.
90% of domestic worker respondents earned $15 or less per hour this month.
Job search
Most domestic worker respondents, whether or not they had current work, looked for additional work in March.
More than 8 in 10 (85%) domestic worker respondents, whether or not they had current work, told us they had looked for new work in the past 30 days.
Similarly, more than 8 in 10 (82%) respondents, whether or not they had current work, told us they had asked at least one of their regular employers to go back to work in the past 30 days.
March Jobs Report - Bureau of Labor Statistics
On April 2, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new employment data for March 2021.
The unemployment rate for Latina women decreased notably, while the unemployment rate for Black women decreased only slightly.
The unemployment rate for Latinx and Black adults are still among the highest compared to other demographic groups.
The unemployment rate rose for the Asian population.
People who have been unemployed long-term (27 weeks or more) represented 43.4% of the total unemployed in March.
NDWA Labs’ March report also shows some improvement in employment for Latina domestic workers compared to February, but the levels of joblessness continue to be significantly higher than before the pandemic.
Housing and Food Security
Most domestic worker respondents continue to face housing and food insecurity.
In early-March, more than half (53%) of domestic worker respondents said they were unable to pay their rent or mortgage that month.
17% of respondents said they would not be able to afford food in the following two weeks, and 62% were unsure if they would be able to.
About the surveys
La Alianza surveys Spanish-speaking domestic workers each week, via a Messenger chatbot. The employment numbers presented in this report pool data from four weekly surveys in March. Questions about hours worked and hourly wages are asked weekly, questions regarding underemployment and job search are asked bi-weekly, and questions about housing and food security are asked once a month.
The total number of fully completed surveys for our four March weekly surveys, which includes both new and repeated respondents, was 6,978. At the end of each survey, La Alianza provides respondents with relevant news articles and resources in Spanish. To learn more about the La Alianza survey of Spanish-speaking domestic workers see our recent report.
La Alianza is a product of NDWA Labs, the innovation arm of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. NDWA Labs experiments with the ways technology can organize domestic workers and transform domestic work jobs into good jobs by bringing respect, living wages, and benefits to an undervalued and vulnerable part of the economy.
For questions, please contact us here.