Lemondrop

With all the focus on job cuts at big companies, it's easy to forget about another segment of the working public directly affected when professionals get canned: housekeepers and nannies. So-called trickle-down downsizing is having a profound impact on domestic helpers, the majority of whom are female.

We know it's hard to sympathize with people who can afford hired help when you're on your 37th straight night of Ramen. But consider the struggle of the many domestic workers who depend on middle class and wealthy families to earn a living.

Michelle, a nanny from Guyana was recently laid off by her employer. "They came to me one evening and said to me they can't afford to pay me anymore. I said, how long are you going to give me? And they said just the following week ...This is a very bad time."

By the Numbers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 915,890 maids in America, and their average wage is $9.40 an hour, though some make as little as $6.53 an hour. Nearly all of them are female, most are not U.S. citizens, and about two-thirds are black or Hispanic, according to a survey by advocacy group Domestic Workers United. Many maids use their wages to support children and family members in other countries -- and when they lose their jobs, their families suffer, too.

Click here to read why some domestic workers feel their jobs are safe.

Because so many maids and household workers are paid under the table, they don't get the same kind of unemployment benefits that they otherwise might, making the sting of losing an income that much worse.

Domestic workers often have a difficult time finding future legitimate work -- and if they do, it's often at a very low pay rate. Those who are employed are now making significantly less than they once were: One New York employment agency says salaries being offered now are 20 percent less than six months ago.

Still Some Demand
There still seems to be a market in some major cities, though, judging by recent Craigslist postings. Rebecca, who cleans houses in the San Francisco Bay area for $30 an hour, isn't worried about being out of work. "I keep the kitchen clean so they can cook at home and save money by not going out to eat," she said. "Also, having a clean house reduces tensions in a time where tensions tend to run high."

And in the future, recessions might not mean such dire consequences for service workers: New York is trying to pass a bill of rights to protect them.