Admin I Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023
GERMANY – The vast majority of domestic helpers in Germany are working illegally, according to a study published on Saturday.
“For years, we have estimated that the number of domestic helpers who are not registered and who work illegally without insurance and accident insurance cover has been over 90%,” says Dominik Enste, author of the research by the Institute of the German Economy (IW).
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For the current estimate, the IW evaluated recently published results from the so-called socio-economic panel, a representative long-term survey of around 290,000 private households.
According to this indicator, about 4.3 million households, or about every tenth household in Germany, employs help in the home regularly or occasionally in 2021.
Deduct the known numbers of workers who are self-employed and pay social security contributions, and 3.9 million households are paying people to clean, garden, run chores and mind children off the state’s radar, the IW estimates.
Employers and illegal workers alike have little to gain by registering with the authorities that regulate part-time employment.
“Even though it is not uncommon for domestic helpers to work in the household for many years and a good relationship of trust is built up, households often do not want to enter into contractual obligations,” said Enste.
