Only 2.5% of domestic helpers in the Philippines have written contracts with employers

On January 13, local time, the Philippine Department of Labor (DOLE) admitted that there were challenges in implementing the domestic service law, saying that only about 35000 domestic workers in the country had written contracts.

Citing a 2019 survey by the National Wages and Productivity Commission and the Philippine Bureau of Statistics, the agency said there were an estimated 1.4 million domestic workers nationwide.

"The real challenge is compliance or compliance with the law, for example in the law, where they find that only 2.5 per cent of domestic helpers have written contracts," Lobrin-Satumba Ahmma, director of the Labor Department's Workers Bureau, said Charisma."

In addition, she added: "The small coverage of our social protection agencies is also a big problem, which is currently only 17%. So this is really a big challenge. The purpose of the law is to achieve their protection and benefit. These are just some of the challenges we face when implementing the law."

At the same time, according to the latest announcement of the Philippine Department of Labor, domestic helper salaries in all regions have been adjusted in the past year, ranging from 500 to 2500 pesos, making the minimum wage in the industry range from 3500 to 6000 pesos, depending on their region.

The authorities warned that domestic helpers must be over 15 years old, but the authorities will be more strict with minors or groups between 15 and 18 years old, that is, they must not work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.