The average domestic worker in South Africa is 37 and earns about R2 989 a month, with domestic work being her only source of income, according to a report released by Africa’s largest home service platform, SweepSouth.
The average domestic worker in South Africa is 37 and earns about R2 989 a month, with domestic work being her only source of income, according to a report released by Africa’s largest home service platform, SweepSouth.
In its sixth annual report on “Domestic Workers Pay and Work Conditions”, SweepSouth attributed poor pay to load-shedding, high inflation rates, the cost of living and brain drain, which has affected domestic workers — 94% of whom are reported to be women.
“This has a very concerning systemic impact that we are going to see across South Africa because it is not just the earnings of an individual worker but it’s a loss in terms of tax pace and educating individuals. This squeezes the middle class and we are seeing that pressure filter down to domestic workers substantially,” said managing director of SweepSouth, Luke Kannemeyer.
The report surveyed 5 500 domestic workers — mainly around Cape Town and regions within Gauteng — via its SweepSouth platform, and found that the average domestic worker spends around R694 more than she earns, is unable to save, has no medical aid and owes about R3 599 to shops, friends and loan sharks, among others.
“Consistent with previous reports, we can see the significant burden placed on domestic workers to support themselves and their families at home. Continued economic difficulties will compound the pressure,” said Kannemeyer.
The report also reveals scores of job losses suffered by domestic workers over the past year, with the leading cause being employers moving away — with 59% of those employers moving overseas.
According to SweepSouth, this represents a 15% increase in domestic workers who lost their means of income due to “brain drain” in South Africa this year, compared to 2022. Moreover, 68% of those who lost their jobs last year were not registered for UIF, and only 52% of those registered could submit successful claims.
Kennemeyer said domestic workers need more access to facilities to assist them in registering for UIF.
“As much as people talk about the enforcement of the legislation in South Africa, I would say the biggest barrier in the domestic worker industry is access. Union employers want to sign their workers for UIF but you will be lucky if the website loads or call centres answer the phones.”
While the survey shows that situations are still very challenging for domestic workers in South Africa, earnings continue the upward trend reported in 2022 for those domestic workers who use the SweepSouth platform.
“While South Africa has minimum wage and other labour legislation protecting domestic workers, the report indicates that this is often not adhered to. Without innovative ways to improve implementation and enforcement, domestic workers will not see much benefit,” said Kannemeyer.
Although foreigners were not included in the survey, Kannemeyer said SweepSouth is looking at ways to include all domestic workers in its systems.