Crisis for domestic workers in South Africa
While most jobs in South Africa have returned to or surpassed pre-Covid levels, domestic worker jobs remain in significant decline, with over 170,000 positions seemingly permanently lost.
Domestic worker jobs in South Africa increased over the last quarter, but the 11,000 jobs added in Q3 are still lower than the same time last year – and the sector is nowhere close to recovering to levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the third quarter of the year, domestic worker jobs increased 1.3% quarter-on-quarter to 854,000 jobs.
While this is undoubtedly good news for domestic workers looking for jobs, it comes with the caveat that the sector is still under pressure relative to 2023 – with 6,000 fewer jobs (or a 0.7% decline) from Q3 2023.
Stats SA noted that this reflects a shift in employment among private households, which represents a crucial segment of the labour market, despite being relatively vulnerable and largely informal.
However, while the South African economy has recovered since the Covid-19 days—and households have seen a positive turn in recent months—this has not been reflected in domestic worker jobs, which remain over 170,000 lower than pre-Covid.
Approximately 1.1 million South Africans are employed in private households, with 75.7% (or 854,000) working as domestic workers.
These workers form an essential support system for families across the country, Stats SA said.
“Domestic work encompasses a variety of tasks, but its defining characteristic is that it takes place in or for a private household. This category includes live-in and live-out domestic workers, those working on a casual or hourly basis, and those employed through or by a service provider.
“They perform vital tasks such as childcare, cleaning, cooking, and elderly care, enabling other South Africans to work outside their homes.
“However, despite the essential nature of their work, domestic workers face ongoing vulnerabilities and economic uncertainties, which have only intensified in recent years,” it said.
Between Q3: 2014 and Q3: 2019, domestic work employment showed modest growth of 6.8% (or 65,000 jobs), increasing from 961,000 to 1 million jobs.
This steady rise indicated a stable demand for domestic services. However, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupted this trend.
As the pandemic kept people home, demand for domestic work declined sharply by 15.9% (or 163,000 jobs), falling to 864,000 in Q3: 2020.
While employment in private households began to recover slightly with a 0.8% increase in Q3: 2021 as restrictions eased, the demand for domestic help continued to decline.
By Q3: 2024, domestic work employment had decreased further to 854,000 jobs – still significantly below the pre-pandemic level of 1 million in Q3: 2019.
“This post-pandemic decline also reflects financial pressures on households, many of whom have reduced spending on non-essential services like domestic help due to rising inflation,” Stats SA said.
This has been reflected in many other independent surveys and studies of household spending, which indicate that domestic help is a ‘luxury’ for many, and one of the first budget items to be cut when it comes time to tighten belts and save.
Stats SA said that this is reflected in the numbers, where domestic work remains one of the hardest-hit sectors, struggling to regain its pre-2020 employment levels.
As of Q3: 2024, domestic work employment is still 16.8% (or 173,000 jobs) below its peak in Q3: 2019.
By contrast, other elementary occupations – including farm labourers and construction and maintenance workers – have rebounded, with a 9.8% increase that surpasses pre-pandemic levels.
“Domestic workers provide essential services to millions of households worldwide and play a crucial role in the care economy.
“As South Africa’s economy recovers, the private household sector continues to lag, underscoring the need for a focused strategy to support a sustainable recovery for domestic workers,” Stats SA said.
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