Domestic Worker Salary & Minimum Wage in South Africa

You are about to hire a domestic worker and are confused about how much you should pay the worker, right? Domestic worker wages or salaries vary according to their duration of work, the age factor, and the type of duties. If the duties are hard and time-consuming, then the wages or salary will be high; otherwise, for easy-to-do responsibilities, the amount is low.

Occupation:Domestic Worker
Monthly Salary Range:R 4000 – R 8000
Average Monthly Salary:R 6000
Description:The worker is responsible for looking after the tasks related to the household, including cooking, laundry, and cleaning the house, as well as organizing the house perfectly.
Minimum Qualification:There is no certain qualification required for appointing a domestic worker.

The domestic worker job market is growing day by day in South Africa, according to the National Labor and Economic Development Institute report. Anyhow, one can hire a worker or go for employment in case you are a migrant and cannot find a job; then the domestic work profession is useful. The salaries or wages vary depending upon multiple factors, and they increase with the passage of time, come with me to understand the salary structure.

Overview of Domestic Worker Salary & Minimum Wage

Domestic work is a hard job in which the worker is responsible for dealing with complicated things such as cleaning and organizing the house, cooking flavorful foods, or washing clothes. It is a job full of responsibilities, including taking care of the household. A person who is working as a domestic employee in South Africa receives an R4000 minimum salary, and if we see the mansions or villas, their workers get R8000 per month.

According to the data available, the average income of a domestic worker is R6000 per month. The majority of the workers are earning below or above R6000. The employer gives the amount, but a question arises: how do these people deal with the medical checkups or accommodations because, in this small amount, one can only eat two times meals a day?

Extras

The domestic workers receive extra hours income like all the other employees. According to the government policy regarding labor, no one can force employees to work more than 45 hours per week. In case the employer insists workers stay for long hours, then he should pay extra hour wages.

The domestic workers who are working as standby employees should receive R20 per hour. Domestic workers should have paid leave on the holidays. Public holidays such as Sunday, National Day, or Christmas are the off days for domestic workers.

Salary Structure

There is no ranking or proper structure for domestic workers, but some professions cost more as compared to others, for example. Cooking is better than laundry, and nanny is better than general work. The driving position is also in the domestic worker’s list, which earns more rands than housekeeper and gardener.

The salary or wages may vary according to the area and the type of job. For example, if you are in Cape Town, the salary is high as compared to the smaller cities and areas.

Furthermore, the villa owners pay more than the small house owners. For instance, if you work in a celebrity house, the chances are high that you get more pay.

Responsibilities of Domestic Workers

Because domestic workers have different duties according to their jobs, we cannot tell all the responsibilities; however, there are general duties of domestic workers, such as managing problems or organizing the work. Here are the responsibilities of domestic workers.

  1. Managing budget: The first is to deal with the expenses under the budget. For example, if you are a chef and you have to prepare a meal. Before starting the work, you should focus on the money you have and the things you require to prepare food.
  2. Providing care: A purpose of the domestic worker is to take care of the members of the house.

FAQs

What are the problems related to domestic work?

Domestic workers often face physical abuse, intimidation, bullying, sexual assault, and poor-quality food.

What is the role of a domestic worker?

The role of a domestic worker is to provide services related to the tasks of organizing the house.

South Africa is working on the problems of domestic workers; hundreds of cases are reported regarding their low pay and lack of wages after work. However, the country is regulating laws and orders related to domestic workers because their salaries are very low compared to their responsibilities. Anyhow, I have explained the salaries and wages of domestic workers; I hope this information will help you in the future.

Article Modified on October 28, 2023. The data in this article is written and collected by multiple authors. Learn how we research on About Us.