During the first quarter of 2025, the employment situation for domestic workers in South Africa worsened notably, as recent labour statistics from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) revealed a substantial contraction in jobs within the sector. The data indicates that the domestic work industry shed approximately 43,000 jobs in just three months, highlighting growing vulnerabilities in one of the country’s most precarious employment categories. This alarming figure reflects deepening economic stress in South African households, many of which are no longer able to afford basic in-home support.
Key Takeaways
- Massive Job Losses in Domestic Sector: Domestic worker employment in South Africa fell by 43,000 jobs in Q1 2025 alone, contributing to a total annual decline of 51,000 jobs and signalling a persistent downward trend that began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Sector Still Below Pre-Covid Levels: Despite some post-pandemic recovery, the domestic worker sector remains 20% smaller than in 2019, with little progress in regaining its former size due to structural and financial challenges facing private households.
- Rising Costs and Regulation Pressure Employment: Economic strain, rising living costs, and increased employer obligations—such as UIF, the National Minimum Wage, and compliance costs—are discouraging private households from employing domestic workers, further weakening the sector.
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According to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q1 2025, the total number of domestic workers employed across the country has now dropped to approximately 815,000. This figure marks a significant reduction when compared to both the previous quarter and the same period in the prior year. It is a harsh reminder that the sector, long considered a backbone for informal employment, is in steady decline with no immediate signs of stabilisation.
Between December 2024 and the end of March 2025, the sector recorded a 5% quarter-on-quarter decrease in domestic employment. The drop in available positions is stark, with 43,000 roles lost over just one quarter, placing further strain on already fragile employment conditions within the sector. Such a plunge not only puts tens of thousands of breadwinners out of work but also signals shrinking disposable income among the middle class—those most likely to employ domestic help.
The comparison to year-on-year data paints an even bleaker picture. Relative to March 2024, domestic worker jobs declined by approximately 51,000 positions, translating to a 5.8% annual decrease. This demonstrates that the sector’s challenges are not just short-term or seasonal, but part of a continuing downward trend in employment opportunities. This persistent erosion raises urgent questions about the long-term sustainability of one of South Africa’s most relied-upon job sectors.
Moreover, this sharp reduction in domestic worker roles has significantly contributed to the broader contraction in employment within the private households industry. Stats SA figures show that this category experienced a staggering 100,000 job losses year-on-year, with 68,000 positions being lost just in the most recent quarter. These numbers are a clear red flag indicating systemic instability in household-led employment, which forms a sizeable portion of the informal economy.
Broader Labour Market Trends Also Show Contraction
While the losses in the domestic work sector are especially acute, they are not isolated from broader employment shifts occurring across the South African economy. Stats SA also reported an overall decline in national employment levels for the first quarter of 2025, with a 1.7% reduction in total employment between quarters. This downturn is the clearest sign yet that economic recovery efforts are failing to create sustainable job growth.
This translated into 291,000 fewer people being employed, reducing the employed population from 17.1 million in Q4 2024 to just 16.8 million in Q1 2025. At the same time, the number of individuals officially categorised as unemployed rose by 237,000, reaching a total of 8.2 million by the end of March 2025. The country is teetering on a knife’s edge, with each quarter revealing more cracks in the labour market.
The net result of these movements was a decrease of 54,000 individuals in the labour force as a whole, which fell by 0.2% over the period. Consequently, the national unemployment rate rose by one percentage point, reaching 32.9% for the quarter—an outcome that was worse than many market observers had anticipated. This spike in unemployment dashes hopes of a steady jobs recovery and casts serious doubt on the effectiveness of current economic policy measures.
Despite the widespread declines, some analysts noted that the overall employment pattern in South Africa showed signs of underlying stability, particularly as some seasonal and structural pressures have begun to ease. A portion of the employment losses was linked to typical seasonal fluctuations, with temporary positions created during the festive period in Q4 often not carried over into Q1. In addition, the early months of the year generally see a wave of school-leavers and university graduates entering the job market, many of whom struggle to find immediate employment. However, seasonal explanations offer little comfort in the face of worsening long-term structural unemployment.
Nonetheless, there are continued concerns that profitability among South African businesses may weaken further during 2025, potentially leading to cautious hiring practices and reduced expansion in the near term. This economic uncertainty, coupled with ongoing financial pressures on private households, suggests a difficult road ahead—particularly for roles that are already vulnerable, such as those in domestic work. The prospect of a protracted job crisis is no longer theoretical; it is becoming a lived reality for millions.
Long-Term Pressure Continues to Affect Domestic Workers
The most recent data serves to reinforce what has become a clear trend: the employment prospects for domestic workers in South Africa have changed significantly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic—and not for the better. The sector appears to be undergoing a structural shift, rather than a temporary setback. Years after the height of the pandemic, the sector is still reeling from its effects, with no real policy support or rebound plan in sight.
In fact, domestic work remains one of the few sectors that has never returned to its pre-pandemic employment levels. Historical data tracking employment in this occupation from 2014 to the present indicates that the country has seen a persistent reduction of roughly 20% in the total number of domestic worker jobs. This long-term contraction represents a silent crisis that continues to worsen behind closed doors in private homes across the country.
Prior to the pandemic, South Africa employed approximately 1 million domestic workers. However, after the nationwide lockdown was implemented in 2020 in response to Covid-19, the sector experienced an immediate contraction of nearly 250,000 jobs—around a quarter of all positions in the field. The lockdown triggered an unprecedented collapse in informal employment that has yet to be repaired.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, a partial recovery occurred, with approximately 150,000 jobs being reinstated. Despite this bounce-back, the sector has failed to close the gap and remains significantly below its former size. This ongoing shortfall highlights how recovery in domestic work has lagged behind broader economic activity and job creation in other sectors.
Economic Strain on Households Restricts Demand for Domestic Help
One of the key challenges facing the domestic worker sector is its reliance on private households as employers. Many of these households continue to face financial difficulties stemming not only from the pandemic but also from subsequent economic pressures, such as interest rate hikes and rising living expenses. Families are having to make impossible choices between paying for basic utilities or retaining their domestic workers.
Household financial surveys consistently show that when budgets are under pressure, domestic help is often one of the first expenses to be eliminated. This trend has been particularly evident in recent years, with South African consumers grappling with higher electricity tariffs, increased fuel prices, and limited salary growth that fails to keep pace with inflation.
These harsh trade-offs are reshaping household dynamics and eroding one of the few stable income streams available to many women.
For domestic workers, the impact of this financial strain is twofold. Not only do they face a reduced number of job opportunities due to cutbacks by employers, but they are also personally affected by the rising cost of living. This creates a cycle of hardship where both employer and employee are struggling under similar economic conditions. This double bind traps thousands of domestic workers in a state of financial precarity and social invisibility.
In addition, some labour organisations and worker advocacy groups have raised concerns that evolving labour regulations—while beneficial for workers in principle—may inadvertently discourage employment. Examples include the consistent increases to the National Minimum Wage, which has outpaced inflation in some years, as well as compliance requirements related to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), the Compensation Fund, and discussions around pension coverage for domestic workers. These well-meaning regulations, while progressive, are clashing with the stark financial limitations of working-class households.
While such regulatory measures are intended to improve long-term conditions for domestic workers, they also place increased financial and administrative burdens on households. In some cases, families may decide to undertake household chores themselves rather than comply with what they perceive as additional obligations. As a result, the growing costs of formalising domestic employment are inadvertently contributing to its collapse.
Call for Government Support to Safeguard Domestic Jobs
Given the precarious nature of domestic employment and the rising costs faced by employers, some unions and labour representatives have proposed that government intervention may be needed to preserve jobs in this sector. Suggestions include introducing wage subsidies or tax relief options for households that employ domestic workers legally and in compliance with regulations.
These proposals aim to strike a balance between fair worker protections and financial practicality for employers, potentially helping to stabilise employment in a sector that continues to face disproportionate challenges.
If no action is taken, the slow death of domestic work in South Africa may soon become irreversible.
The question now is whether policymakers will take steps to protect what has historically been one of the largest employment sectors in the country—or whether domestic work will continue to decline as broader economic pressures persist.
Conclusion
The domestic worker sector in South Africa is facing a prolonged employment crisis, with recent figures revealing both a sharp quarterly decline and a deeper, long-term contraction that has persisted since the Covid-19 pandemic. Although regulatory changes have aimed to improve worker protections, many financially strained households now view domestic employment as unaffordable. Without targeted support, such as wage subsidies or tax relief, the sector may continue to shrink—leaving hundreds of thousands of vulnerable workers without stable income or prospects for recovery.
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