One third of domestic workers in Catalonia have no contract

At least 30,000 people worked in domestic and care services without a formal contract or social security registration in 2023, according to the report "Domestic and Care Work in Catalonia".

Domestic and care services include care for dependents, cleaning, cooking and babysitting, all provided in private homes.

This sector is characterized by a high degree of labor informality, which means that work is not taxed or registered, as most employment relationships are established directly between families and workers.

The new figures underline that at least one third of those employed in the home and care sector work without a contract. A total of 87,000 people are employed in this sector.

In fact, over the past three years, the number of people working in this sector without a contract has increased from 20% to 35%. 

Despite a 14% increase in employment last year to a total of 87,000 workers, there was a 21% decrease in new contracts.

Several sources, as reported by the Catalan News Agency (ACN), attribute this trend to the increasing social demand for care services, which are mainly provided by foreign women, who often find themselves in irregular administrative situations.

Although households have been legally required to formalize these activities since 2012, a measure aimed at reducing informal work, the problem persists.