In recent years, the Philippines has seen a trend of platformization in domestic and care work through small-scale digital platforms that offer on-demand cleaning services. The nascent and informal nature of this system has given rise to new modes of employment and labor relationships that do not conform with the traditional models of domestic work recognized by Philippine law. This report maps out this new ecosystem, analyzes the impact of digital platforms from the lens of social protection and questions whether the emerging models that result from such platformization transform or preserve long-standing narratives of domestic work as feminized, invisible and undervalued work. It offers policy recommendations towards equitable rights and working conditions for domestic workers engaged in platform-mediated work.
This paper was co-authored by Teresita Barramedam, Jessamine Pacis and Arlen Sandino Barrameda.