JOIN USGovernment launches first of its kind domestic workers' survey
The Centre on Monday launched the first All India Survey on Domestic Workers covering all types of services like cooks, drivers, house-keeping, tutors and watchmen, among others. The exercise will cover 742 districts across the country.
Launching the survey, Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav said the survey is aimed at helping the government understand significant issues and chart evidence-based data-driven policies. The result of the survey, which will be conducted by the Labour Bureau, is expected within a year.
Rapid urbanisation due to expansion would lead to migration of workers and a rise in the number of domestic workers, Yadav said adding that data is required to frame proper policies for those involved in this sector.
Around 8.8 per cent of the 8.56 crore unorganised sector workers registered with the e-Shram portal fall in the domestic worker category. Domestic workers are the third-largest category of workers after agriculture and construction.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, domestic workers constitute a significant portion of total employment in the informal sector but there is a dearth of data on the magnitude and prevailing employment conditions of DW and this has necessitated the need for the survey.
The survey will estimate the number and proportion of domestic workers at the national and state level, percentage distribution of domestic workers with respect to live-in/live-out, formal/informal employment, migrant/non-migrant, their wages and other socio-economic characteristics.
It will also provide the household estimates of live-in/live-out domestic workers and average number of domestic workers engaged by different types of households.
The survey will collect information on the following broad parameters, including household (HH) characteristics such as HH size, religion, social group, usual monthly consumption expenditure, nature of dwelling unit. Demographic characteristics, such as name, age, relation to head, marital status, general education level, usual principal activity status, subsidiary activity status and status of domestic workers will also be covered.
It will also collect information on domestic workers such as their age of entry, social group, migrant status, vocational training/education, number of HHs served by them, activities performed, the number of days worked, duration of work, type of remuneration and its frequency, type of contract, among others.
Check out latest DH videos here