Domestic Workers to Get P800 Wage Increase in February

Domestic workers, including kasambahays working in the National Capital Region, will get an additional P800 in their minimum wage starting February 7.

The National Wages and Productivity Commission, an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment announced the increase on its Facebook page. This means kasambahays will earn a new minimum monthly wage of P7,800, up from the previous P7,000, under Wage Order No. NCR-DW-05.

“After a thorough review and evaluation of the results of the public hearing, existing socio-economic conditions in the region, the needs of the Domestic Workers and their families, as well as the employer’s capacity to pay, the Board deemed it necessary to increase the prevailing minimum wage rates for Domestic Workers,” the order read.

Moreover, if the employer hired the domestic worker through a licensed Private Employment Agency, the employer must pay the wage specified in the order. The worker’s employment contract should be updated to reflect the new wage. Both the agency and employer will be held responsible for ensuring the correct wages are paid.

Domestic workers include those employed as househelpers, yayas, cooks, gardeners, laundry personnel, and others who perform household duties on an occupational basis. This does not include service providers, family drivers, or those who do not perform domestic work as a full-time occupation.

The order covers cities in the National Capital Region, including Caloocan, Malabon, Valenzuela, Navotas, Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Mandaluyong, San Juan,  Manila, Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Pateros, Paranaque, Las Pinas, and Muntinlupa.

Around 200,000 live-in and live-out domestic workers are in Metro Manila as of January 2025, which makes up 20% of all domestic workers in the country.

The wage hike comes almost a year after the announcement of a P50 increase in the daily minimum wage of workers in the National Capital Region, as well as a separate P50 wage hike for the private sector in Metro Manila.

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