Nearly six in ten respondents reported facing difficulty affording expenses in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Source: La Alianza surveys, NDWA Labs
Released: January 8, 2023
The Domestic Workers Economic Situation Report analyzes the economic situation of domestic workers and is released on the same day as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly Jobs Report. Based on weekly surveys with thousands of Spanish-speaking domestic workers across the country, these reports cover jobs, wages and food and housing security.
The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation Report shows an increase in nonfarm payroll jobs. The general unemployment rate remained steady compared to November, while the rate for Latina women increased [1].
NDWA Labs’ December data shows that the joblessness rate for domestic worker respondents increased slightly to 21%. It remains higher compared to the rate of 9% who reported having no jobs before COVID-19 [2].
Domestic workers are the nannies, home care 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. They work in private homes, and often have multiple employers. This means they may have to schedule several jobs in a given week in order to make ends meet. Domestic workers earn less than the average US worker and are three times as likely to be living in poverty [2].
La Alianza survey data from Spanish-speaking domestic workers shows how respondents continue to face low wages and high levels of unemployment and underemployment.