Employment in Spain's domestic sector has dropped 8.9% over the past year, losing 52,900 jobs, while the overall labor market grows 2.6%. Experts attribute this contraction to improved labor conditions raising costs and boosting the underground economy, though the government sees a shift to higher-quality jobs. Workers highlight the grueling nature of the profession, dominated by migrant women.
According to the third-quarter Active Population Survey (EPA), the domestic worker sector is declining the most, with an 8.9% drop contrasting the addition of 564,000 jobs across Spain in the same period. This employment, the lowest-paid in the economy at 1,014 euros gross monthly in 2023 versus an average of 2,273, consists of 93% women and 66% foreign or dual-nationality workers, above the 20% average.
Since 2008, while the labor market has grown 9%, domestic work has shrunk 27%. Experts differ on causes: the AESPD employers' group, led by Ana Garrido, blames measures like the 61% SMI rise since 2018 (to 1,184 euros), unemployment benefits since 2022, and new occupational risk prevention rules, mandatory from November 14. “These measures are fantastic, but they impose costs on employing families,” Garrido states, seeing a push toward the underground economy.
The Ministry of Labor argues they protect a “feminized and discriminated” group, equalizing it with other workers. Dolores Jacinto of the Intercultural Association of Home Professionals notes layoffs and reduced declared hours: “Simply, part is paid in B.” The EPA reveals a gap with Social Security: 564,000 employed versus 378,000 affiliates.
Others see a shift to professional care, where employment has risen from 281,000 to 389,000 over a decade, per INE data. Former domestic worker María Juncay denounces “misery” conditions in internal roles: “It's endless work, without breaks.” Unions like UGT and CC OO call for more inspections and recognition of pre-2022 contributions. Workers like 37-year-old Peruvian Ángeles earn 900 euros for grueling shifts: “It's a very hard job.”