Domestic Workers Lack Contracts and Face Gaps in Social Protection: ILO-Bihar Study

Among the workers surveyed, 84.7 per cent earned between INR 2,000 and INR 4,000 per month, highlighting the low earnings recorded in the study.

Domestic workers provide essential household and care services, but their contribution often receives little recognition in employment arrangements and social protection systems, according to a new International Labour Organization report. A survey in Patna and Gaya found that none of the domestic workers interviewed had a signed employment contract. The findings reveal barriers to securing labour rights and accessing protection for people whose daily work supports homes, children and families.

The ILO and Bihar's Labour Resources Department launched Making Social Protection Available and Accessible for Domestic Workers: A Case Study of Bihar in Patna on 29 October 2026. Released to mark the International Day of Care and Support, the report was prepared by the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute. The study forms part of the ILO's Promoting Rights and Social Inclusion through Organization and Formalization (PRS) Phase 2 project, funded by the Government of Japan.

Among the workers surveyed, 84.7 per cent earned between INR 2,000 and INR 4,000 per month, highlighting the low earnings recorded in the study. Another finding showed that 54 per cent were not registered on e-Shram, India's national database for unorganised workers. Many respondents were enrolled in at least one welfare scheme, but access to wider social protection remained uneven.

Work across multiple households complicates recognition

Domestic workers often work for several households without written agreements, making their employment relationships difficult to identify and recognise within formal systems. Ellina Samantroy, Fellow and Technical Expert at the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, described this lack of visibility as a fundamental obstacle to extending labour protection and social security. The report connects these employment arrangements with the practical difficulties institutions face in identifying workers and ensuring that protections reach them.

Simpler registration and stronger safeguards are needed

The report recommends simplifying worker registration and helping domestic workers access existing social protection schemes, alongside stronger labour protections and grievance redress mechanisms. Bihar Labour Commissioner Rajesh Bharti committed to considering the findings for follow-up through the Social Security Board established for unorganised workers. That commitment creates an opportunity to strengthen institutional efforts to improve access, with the proposed measures focused on recognising and upholding domestic workers' rights.

Recognition must lead to dignity and security

Bihar Labour Secretary K. Senthil Kumar said the report's launch on the International Day of Care and Support reinforced the need to care for those who care for others. He called for coordinated efforts to recognise domestic workers, protect their rights and ensure access to social protection. He placed decent work, dignity and security at the centre of the response, recognising what workers contribute to the homes and families they support.