DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Ministry of Economy estimates that the average house helper makes RD$8,415, half of the average minimum wage. There is no minimum wage for domestic help work.

Economist Rosa Cañete Alonso, who is the director of the Analisis of Poverty, Inequality and Democratic Culture at the Ministry of Economy estimates 245,000 persons are employed in house work. She said housework is the third-largest employer in the country, double the number of jobs in free zones.

She backs efforts to regulate housework and improve the conditions of those holding the jobs. She criticized the Labor Code does not award maternity leave to domestic workers nor are there limits to the working hours.

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