ILO Urges Fair Pay and Investment in Pakistan’s Care Economy

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed that more than 117.4 million people in Pakistan — including 66.7 million women — are engaged in unpaid care and domestic work, underscoring the urgent need for investment and reform in the country’s care economy.

Marking the International Day of Care and Support, the ILO called for coordinated national efforts to strengthen and transform Pakistan’s care sector, describing it as essential for achieving both economic growth and gender equality. The organisation highlighted that the transformation must focus on fair wages, decent working conditions, social protection, and recognition for those performing care work, whether paid or unpaid.

Women remain overwhelmingly overrepresented in unpaid domestic and caregiving roles, handling responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, livestock management, and childcare. According to the ILO report, nearly 60% of women in Pakistan spend more than 15 hours a week on domestic tasks, compared to less than 7% of men. This imbalance fuels time and opportunity poverty, restricting women’s participation in formal employment and reinforcing the gender pay gap.

Globally, women account for two-thirds of the health workforce but earn around 20% less than men and remain underrepresented in leadership positions. In Pakistan, this inequality is further compounded by the lack of structured support, such as social protection, maternity benefits, and workplace safety regulations.

ILO Country Director for Pakistan, Geir Tonstol, said the country has a unique opportunity as a pathfinder for the Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection to strengthen its care sector. “This can create a virtuous cycle where decent jobs and stronger social protection foster more resilient economies and more just societies,” he stated.

Through initiatives like the ILO-OECD-WHO Working for Health (W4H) program, the ILO is assisting Pakistan in improving occupational safety, integrating health regulations, and building workforce capacity to ensure that care work is recognised as decent and dignified employment.

Under Pakistan’s National Health Vision, the government has committed to raising health sector spending to at least three percent of GDP within the next decade. This investment is expected to enhance training, improve workplace safety, and help retain skilled healthcare professionals, particularly women.

In collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, the ILO is also supporting the development of a national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) policy to ensure safer working conditions and progress toward universal health coverage.

A positive milestone came through the ILO’s Promoting Rights and Social Inclusion (PRS) project, backed by the government of Japan, which led to the formation of the United Domestic Workers Federation in Punjab in 2025 — the first registered body representing domestic workers in the province.

“The PRS project has given voice and visibility to domestic workers in Punjab,” said Arooma Shahzad, the federation’s general secretary. “The registration of the Domestic Workers Employers Association and the development of a Code of Conduct for employers are important steps showing the growing commitment to dialogue and fairness.”

The ILO reaffirmed that strategic investment in care work is not just about economic progress — it is a matter of dignity, equality, and social justice. Investing in the hands that care for others, it noted, is the first step toward building a fairer, more inclusive Pakistan.