Domestic work, hourly wage increases for domestic helpers, carers and baby sitters

The minimum wage for domestic workers, such as domestic helpers and caregivers, has been increased. The commission in charge, which met at the Ministry of Labour, updated the hourly rates based on the Foi cost-of-living index surveyed by ISTAT (art. 38 of the Ccnl), to which is added the wage increase provided for by the recent contractual renewal (art. 55).

The result is an increase in monthly salaries starting at EUR 46, depending on the different classification levels, with monthly salaries exceeding EUR 1,400 for the most qualified profiles.

The increases affect all contractual levels. On the hourly level, for level B - i.e. housekeepers - there is an increase from EUR 6.68 to EUR 7.01. Caregivers who assist self-sufficient persons and baby sitters (level Bs) see the wage amount increase from 7.10 to 7.45 euro. Caregivers of dependent persons (level Cs) see an increase from 8.49 to 8.91 euro per hour; in the case of co-habiting, there will be an average increase of 55.98 euro per month, for a total of 1193.84 euro, plus board and lodging allowances.

The updating of minimum wages 'serves to protect the purchasing power of workers and to keep wages in line with the economic reality,' commented Alfredo Savia, President of Nuova Collaborazione. 'This intervention is part of the collective agreement, which remains the point of reference for guaranteeing rights, protections, and certain rules both to workers and to the families commenting on the work, favouring regular and stable relationships in the domestic sector. But there is also a deeper value: care work sustains the welfare of Italian families every day, meets the care needs of many elderly people who are not self-sufficient, and supports parents in reconciling family responsibilities and work. Recognising it on an economic and contractual level means, first of all, recognising its social function and its concrete contribution to the resilience of our welfare system.

According to Inps data published in 2025, there are more than 817,000 regular domestic workers who have paid contributions for at least one month. Against this large number of regular relationships, however, the sector continues to face a significant presence of undeclared work. This is the so-called 'ghost lives' area, which concerns workers without a formal contractual framework, as highlighted in the study 'Domestic work and training - Strategies for bridging the gender gap and strengthening family welfare' by Nuova Collaborazione, edited by Centro Einaudi.