Domestic workers still battle to live

The cruel impact of the pandemic on poor people is evident in the lives of domestic workers in South Africa.

Their salaries are still below the minimum living wage and they are drowning in debt. One in five domestic workers lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

According to the 2021 SweepSouth Domestic Worker Annual Report, the pandemic’s economic fallout has had a devastating effect on domestic workers’ livelihoods. While living costs are down, it is likely due to them sacrificing variable cost items, such as food, to stretch their earnings, which strongly suggests a falling quality of life.

Domestic workers earn on average R2 536 per month, while their monthly living costs amount to R2 890, which means that they are forced to take on debt or reduce spending on vital items to make ends meet every month.

This year’s report reflects on the impact of the pandemic a year later and looked at the usual indicators of pay and working conditions, while also diving deeper into particular aspects highlighted in last year’s report, such spiralling debt and the socioeconomic cost of the pandemic.

Last year’s report was focused on the early impact of the pandemic on the livelihoods and health of domestic workers. A total of 7 000 respondents participated and the data was reverse-billed to ensure respondents did not need mobile data to complete the survey.

The majority of respondents were females between the age of 25 and 44 (79%), with a slight increase in the number of male respondents in the same age bracket. This year, researchers also noted a remarkable increase in the number of Zimbabwean respondents.

The survey uncovered an encouraging sign of economic recovery, with the average number of financial dependents and main breadwinners decreasing to 2019 levels. There has also been a decrease in the number of single parents, but this could be due to the question in this year’s survey being rephrased to refer to “single caregiver” households rather than “single parents”.

Families of domestic workers have on average 4.3 people in the house, with 2.2 have children and four dependants. Of the respondents, 64% are single parents and 79% are the main breadwinners.

The survey showed that domestic workers’ average earnings decreased from last year and fall below the minimum wage increase of 1 March this year. SweepSouth ascribes this to increased income pressure on employers.

Recent data shows that domestic worker earnings still fall far below a living wage as well. The Congress of South African Trade Unions said the report painted a picture of exploitation.