More than 3,000 domestic workers lost their jobs last year due to the emigration of employers while more than 2,000 were fired because their employers could no longer afford to keep them.
This was revealed in the SweepSouth’s sixth annual report called Pay and Working Conditions for Domestic Workers, which gives insights into the lives and livelihoods of domestic workers around the country.
The researchers received 8,331 responses from domestic workers and 3,332 said they lost their jobs in 2022 after their employers relocated to other countries. About 40% of the respondents who were dismissed last year believed they were not fired for valid reasons. The survey was done by SMS and WhatsApp to domestic workers around the country.
“Employers who moved home, primarily moved overseas (59%) while a significant portion moved to a different city within SA (28%). These trends have been compounded by the accelerating emigration of skilled professionals as well as the evolving semigration trends seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic due to remote work possibilities,” said SweepSouth’s managing director Luke Kannemeyer.
“The analysis was restricted to respondents who worked as a domestic worker or lost their job as a domestic worker in the last year, specifically after May 2022,” Kannemeyer said.
According to the report, due to the country’s changing economy, about 2,000 domestic workers lost their jobs because their employer could no longer afford to pay them.
“This number stayed stable compared to the previous survey as 25% lost their jobs in 2023 due to affordability compared to 24% in 2022,” said Kannemeyer.
However, in 2023, the report shows that there has been a significant increase in the percentage of those who lost their jobs because their employer moved homes.
About 3,000 of domestic workers interviewed in the survey, lost their jobs in 2023 compared to 2,000 last year.
The report highlights the unemployment rate which stood at 32.9% overall in the first quarter of 2023, this is according to Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
In the same report, Stats SA found that there are 797,000 people in the country employed as domestic workers with 67,000 workers who lost their jobs compared to last survey.
South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union spokesperson, Richard Njenjema, said the effects of Covid-19 and the dilapidating economy are to blame for most of the job loses.
“Domestic workers are still feeling the pain of the Covid-19 and the harsh reality of the country’s economy, most of their employers own businesses themselves and, due to economy’s state, they often have to cut back on some expenses and that’s often domestic workers. They are often let go or their salaries decreased from the little that it already was,” said Njenjema.
He added it would help is if the government increased the minimum wage as one can’t survive on just R4,000 anymore.
“The minimum wage is R4,000, that is not enough, most of these domestic workers are mothers, single parents, breadwinners of their families and the economy is not the same as it used to be. What’s worse is that domestic workers are not entirely seen as workers, which makes it worse. There are some women in Mpumalanga who get paid R900 for their work and that is too little, what can you do with R900?” Njenjema asked.
Helpers lose jobs as tough economic times bite
Some employers relocating to other countries
Image: Jacques Stander
More than 3,000 domestic workers lost their jobs last year due to the emigration of employers while more than 2,000 were fired because their employers could no longer afford to keep them.
This was revealed in the SweepSouth’s sixth annual report called Pay and Working Conditions for Domestic Workers, which gives insights into the lives and livelihoods of domestic workers around the country.
The researchers received 8,331 responses from domestic workers and 3,332 said they lost their jobs in 2022 after their employers relocated to other countries. About 40% of the respondents who were dismissed last year believed they were not fired for valid reasons. The survey was done by SMS and WhatsApp to domestic workers around the country.
“Employers who moved home, primarily moved overseas (59%) while a significant portion moved to a different city within SA (28%). These trends have been compounded by the accelerating emigration of skilled professionals as well as the evolving semigration trends seen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic due to remote work possibilities,” said SweepSouth’s managing director Luke Kannemeyer.
“The analysis was restricted to respondents who worked as a domestic worker or lost their job as a domestic worker in the last year, specifically after May 2022,” Kannemeyer said.
According to the report, due to the country’s changing economy, about 2,000 domestic workers lost their jobs because their employer could no longer afford to pay them.
“This number stayed stable compared to the previous survey as 25% lost their jobs in 2023 due to affordability compared to 24% in 2022,” said Kannemeyer.
However, in 2023, the report shows that there has been a significant increase in the percentage of those who lost their jobs because their employer moved homes.
About 3,000 of domestic workers interviewed in the survey, lost their jobs in 2023 compared to 2,000 last year.
The report highlights the unemployment rate which stood at 32.9% overall in the first quarter of 2023, this is according to Statistics SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey.
In the same report, Stats SA found that there are 797,000 people in the country employed as domestic workers with 67,000 workers who lost their jobs compared to last survey.
South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union spokesperson, Richard Njenjema, said the effects of Covid-19 and the dilapidating economy are to blame for most of the job loses.
“Domestic workers are still feeling the pain of the Covid-19 and the harsh reality of the country’s economy, most of their employers own businesses themselves and, due to economy’s state, they often have to cut back on some expenses and that’s often domestic workers. They are often let go or their salaries decreased from the little that it already was,” said Njenjema.
He added it would help is if the government increased the minimum wage as one can’t survive on just R4,000 anymore.
“The minimum wage is R4,000, that is not enough, most of these domestic workers are mothers, single parents, breadwinners of their families and the economy is not the same as it used to be. What’s worse is that domestic workers are not entirely seen as workers, which makes it worse. There are some women in Mpumalanga who get paid R900 for their work and that is too little, what can you do with R900?” Njenjema asked.
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