Finance

Pay hike for domestic workers in South Africa is coming

Staff Writer

 ·5 Aug 2026

The National Minimum Wage Commission has gazetted an open invitation for input on the national minimum wage adjustments for 2027.

The commission conducts an annual call with stakeholders to gather input, which it then compiles into a recommendation report on possible adjustments to the wage for the next year.

The recommendations will be submitted to the Minister of Employment and Labour later in 2026, in accordance with Section 6(2) of the NMW Act.

This is the first comment period for the upcoming changes, which will impact the minimum wages payable to workers in South Africa, including domestic workers.

This will be followed by the council’s annual report and recommendations for the wage adjustment, published later in the year—after which, stakeholders will have another opportunity to comment.

The Department of Employment and Labour will take the recommendations and feedback into account before it determines the final adjustment in early 2027.

The National Minimum Wage is the lowest remuneration rate that employers are legally required to pay their employees for each ordinary hour worked.

It is illegal for employers to pay their employees less than the minimum threshold.

For 2026, the commission recommended a CPI+1.5% increase, which the DEL officially announced as a 5% increase in February.

This raised the NMW from R28.79 to R30.23 per ordinary hour worked.

For most workers, the hourly rate translates to a weekly rate of R1,264.85 (based on a 45-hour working week) and a monthly rate of R5,894.40 (based on 4.3 weeks or 195 hours).

For a more typical work month of 160 hours, the minimum would be R4,834, up from R4,606 in 2025.

While the 2027 hike is still to be determined, the commission has historically committed to an adjustment higher than CPI.

With inflation ticking higher and projected to average 4.4% (SARB data), the national minimum wage will thus rise above the baseline of R31.56 per hour next year.

The National Minimum Wage Commission is responsible for reviewing and recommending adjustments to the national minimum wage annually.

It also investigates and reports annually to the minister on the impact of the national minimum wage on the economy, collective bargaining, and income differentials.

Therefore, input from stakeholders is vital to the process, as it can have a real-world impact on what the final approved rate will be.

• Written submissions can be addressed to: Employment Standards, Department of Employment and Labour, Private Bag X117, Pretoria, 0001
• Digital submissions can be sent to [email protected]

The deadline for submissions is 4 September 2026.