In the Latin American and Caribbean region, 47.2 million people (36.8 million women and 10.4 million men) are engaged in care work (16 per cent of total employment and 31 per cent of female employment). Of these, 15 million people are domestic workers. A predominantly feminised occupation and an important source of employment for vulnerable women, 1 in 9 employed women is a domestic worker.

The ILO estimates that the demand for care could generate close to 300 million formal jobs worldwide by 2035. While this figure offers promising opportunities, the challenges faced, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, should not be ignored. Despite the growing need for trained personnel in this field and the progress that has been made in our region, the professionalisation and recognition of the labour competencies of those working in this sector has not received the necessary attention from most countries, neither in the framework of care policies nor in national training plans, as agreed in the ECLAC Buenos Aires Commitment.

That is why today, 29 October, International Day of Care and Support, the ILO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is launching a compendium together with our Inter-American Centre for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training (ILO/CINTERFOR) on The Rising Role of Vocational Training Institutions in Latin America: Training and certification services for care work which is composed of a Guide for national debate on the incorporation or improvement of training and certification services for care for early childhood, older adults and people with disabilities and a Systematisation of experiences on training and certification for care work in the region. The document is the result of more than two years of work with Vocational Training Institutions in Latin America.

The ILO is working to promote care policies that transform gender relations in the home, in employment and in society, that guarantee rights and respect our International Conventions ratified by the countries of the region.

In order to contribute to a more equitable and egalitarian economic recovery, as well as to build an inclusive future of work, the ILO Regional Office together with ILO/CINTERFOR, has prioritised in its work programme the support to governments, employers and workers, and to vocational training and certification institutions in Latin America in the design and implementation of care policies, paying special attention to the area of training and certification of care work.

This will include an emphasis on ensuring that the curriculum is not limited to the skills needed to perform the tasks, but also includes a gender analysis that de-feminises care and empowers workers, encouraging collective action through trade union representation in social dialogue.

Now is the time to recognise care workers throughout the life cycle, validating the skills required and acknowledging the complexity of their tasks. This is essential to ensure decent work and professional growth that positively impacts on the quality of care services.