The International Labor Organization (ILO) believes that the demand for domestic workers will increase in the coming years as Asia continues to become an aging population according to a statement released Saturday.
ILO Regional Migration Specialist for Asia and the Pacific Nilim Baruah said that despite the upward trend on the need for domestic workers , their protection is another matter.
A United Nations study shows that the number of older persons in Asia-Pacific is expected to increase from about 548 million this year to nearly 1.3 billion by 2050.
Japan, South Korea and Thailand are the top countries with rapidly aging population in Asia.
Baruah adds that if this trend continues, then Thailand will join Japan, Hong Kong (China), Korea and New Zealand among societies where more than one in five people will be 65 years or older by 2031.
The expert also notes that more women are joining the workforce therefore housewold works will require domestic helpers to fill the gap.
The statement also explained that Singapore is “illustrative of this trend, where, already in 2012, a national survey found that among persons aged 75 and over, 50 percent were dependent on migrant care workers, including domestic workers, for their daily care.”
The statement was released in celebration of Domestic Workers’ Day. There is an estimated 67 million domestic workers worldwide and 10 million of them are in Asia.
