Buenos Aires - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
I do not think anyone who needs to employ regular domestic help should come to Argentina. In my opinion, Argentina’s labor law is a liability. I support robust labor laws that protect workers, but in my opinion, that is not this. You can do everything right, document everything by the book, and your employee will still sue you — and win. Frivolous lawsuits against employers by domestic staff seem to be exceedingly common, and in my opinion, becoming more so as the economy fails. It seems the employee always wins, even in cases where the employee was fired for theft or child abuse, the employee wins, and the court ordered settlements are outrageous. It seems as though you will be punished for having been generous to your employee. In my opinion, any generosity you have shown will be interpreted as something you legally owe them on an ongoing basis. It seems employees often “fall down” and “get hurt” at work and then sue the employer. I rolled my eyes at people when they tried to warn me about this, but it’s real. Even if you don’t get sued, the severance pay when you leave post will still be exorbitant. The work quality of staff, even TCN employees, is very low in my opinion. - Apr 2022
We employed a nanny and a housekeeper, as did many other people. We paid about $600 per month for the full-time nanny and if I'm recalling correctly, about $25 per day for the part-time person who worked 4-5 hours per day twice a week. Note that labor laws there are EXCELLENT for the worker and when you leave, you will pay a significant amount in severance and unused vacation days, partial annual bonus, etc. Do the math and see if it's worth it for you, but I can't complain when a system helps the worker! Also you'll have to physically go to the post office and send them a telegram with the date you'll leave which is a quaint but annoying detail. HR at the Embassy has all the details to walk you through all the employment details. - Jul 2020
Very available and very reasonable. There are reputable services where people can find household help, or you can find advertisements on Facebook groups or through personal (or business) networks. Our current domestic helper has been with us for two years, and we found her through her previous boss, who was a friend/colleague. We pay her about $500 USD/month; this is high compared to the legal going rate. - Jul 2019
It is less then in the U.S. but more than other Latin American countries. - Jun 2015
Labor laws here are very protective of domestic help and make it difficult and tricky, though not impossible to have a nanny or housekeeper. Make sure you understand the labor laws and manage your own and the employee's expectations. This a "sue happy" culture in which the man, i.e. the employer, never wins! - Aug 2014
Easily available and used to be quite inexpensive, but everything is going up. - Aug 2011
Help is available, we pay about $5 an hour. - May 2011
Very available & very inexpensive. - Jul 2008
