While domestic workers in South Africa remain under pressure\u2014with low pay and a slow recovery in the number of jobs\u2014the latest CPI data from Stats SA shows that wages are increasing above inflation, bringing some welcome relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Stats SA, domestic worker wages (surveyed quarterly) rose by an annual 4.1% in Q3 2024 \u2013 above the annual increase of 3.9% in Q2 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means domestic worker wages rose above the headline inflation figure of 2.8%, ensuring real wage growth of 1.3%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Core inflation\u2014the measure of inflation excluding food, fuel and energy\u2014sits slightly higher at 3.9%, but domestic worker wage growth is still higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Domestic workers are facing a challenging time in the country with job numbers hovering around the 850,000 mark<\/strong><\/a>, down significantly from the over 1 million positions before the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent analysis from Stats SA showed that the sector is struggling to recover, while almost every other industry has returned to or surpassed pre-Covid levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of Q3: 2024, domestic work employment is still 16.8% (or 173,000 jobs) below its peak in Q3: 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By contrast, other elementary occupations \u2013 including farm labourers and construction and maintenance workers \u2013 have rebounded, with a 9.8% increase that surpasses pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the pay front, while domestic workers should be earning R27.58 per hour following the implementation of the 2024 national minimum wage hike in February (approximately R4,400 per month for full-time work), industry surveys shows that most still earn far below this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actual earnings surveyed by SweepSouth in August show actual wages are around R3,349 per month for women and R3,059 for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notably, this falling short of the NMW is disputed by a 14% increase in domestic worker wages<\/strong><\/a> from the 2023 SweepSouth survey and an 8.5% hike to the NMW in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A boon\u2014or a curse\u2014for domestic workers awaits in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Minimum Wage Commission is currently going through the processes to determine the national minimum wage hike for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The commission previously indicated that the minimum wage should increase at rates above inflation, so that wages grow in real terms and don\u2019t lose value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Factors considered by the Commission in the annual adjustment include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This could see the minimum wage for domestic workers increase significantly once again in 2025, bringing even more relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the potential risks for domestic workers are that private households could instead opt to let their domestic workers go instead of paying higher rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several studies and surveys published this year have shown that domestic help is one of the first costs to be cut<\/strong><\/a> when households look to save money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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