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IOL News reports that Sweepsouth’s recently released Annual Report on Domestic Worker Pay and Working Conditions reveals that a staggering 39% of domestic workers in SA earn below the national minimum wage.
The report, which surveyed 5,039 domestic workers across the nation, found that the median monthly earnings stood at R3,635, was is well below the R4,500 deemed necessary for basic living expenses. The report paints a grim picture of the economic pressures confronting an essential workforce that forms the backbone of many households in SA. As rising costs of housing, food, and transport outstrip wages, the gap between income and the real cost of living widens. This reality results in a pervasive cycle of debt, hardship, and insecurity for thousands of workers and their families.
In the past year, essential costs have increased sharply – housing costs rose by 11% and food prices by 8%. Consequently, the average domestic worker now faces a monthly shortfall of nearly R900 between their income and essential expenses, leaving them with no room for savings or emergency funds. Debt has emerged as a pervasive issue, with one in three domestic workers in debt, often relying on informal lenders with exorbitant interest rates. Among those in debt, over a third perceive their repayment chances as hopeless, creating a cycle of stress and anxiety.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at IOL News
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