Demand for educated maids rises as households rely on outsourcing: Report

Demand for educated house help or maids has surged manifold, driven by a growing number of dual-income households and their increasing reliance on outsourced support for daily chores, a report has said.

Roles for maids with different education levels have witnessed a sharp growth in 2024 calendar year compared to the preceding year, leading to a steep rise in demand for such domestic helps, said the report by blue and grey collar recruitment platform WorkIndia.

The demand for those with below 10th grade of education surged by 112 per cent. The demand rose 102 per cent for graduates, 94 per cent for 10th pass, and an exceptional 255 per cent for 12th pass candidates, it added.

The high growth among 12th pass and graduate maids suggests that employers are increasingly seeking more educated individuals for roles that require higher trust such as child care, elderly care, or managing household operations, said the report.

"India's household job market is undergoing a pivotal shift. The rising demand for experienced workers and a surge in applications reflect both an evolving domestic employment ecosystem and the economic urgency faced by job seekers," WorkIndia CEO and co-founder Nilesh Dungarwal told PTI.

This also creates an opportunity to upskill domestic workers, as the demand for professionally trained and educated maids continues to grow across all qualification tiers, the report stated.

The WorkIndia report is based on the analysis of 36.26 lakh job listings and 108.9 lakh job seekers data on its platform during January 2023 to December 2024.

The report further revealed that while tier I cities still account for the highest number of maid job postings, the most significant percentage growth has come from tier II and III cities.

These cities witnessed a sharp rise - some exceeding 100 per cent growth -indicating a strong and emerging demand for domestic helps in smaller urban centres, it said.

As more households transition to dual-income setups and urbanisation spreads, families in non-metro cities are increasingly outsourcing household chores, indicating that the rising demand for maids are no longer just a marker of affluence, but a functional necessity driven by time constraints, changing gender roles, and aspirations for a more modern lifestyle.

The report also found that job postings for women candidates grew by 45 per cent, driven in large part by the maid category.

In contrast, it said, postings for women cooks dropped by 59 per cent, while male cooks saw a 6 per cent rise, indicating a shift in household hiring preferences for food-related roles.

The top five titles with the highest number of postings were cook, housemaid, chef, Chinese cook, and Indian cook, the report said.

The average minimum salary for household workers increased by 7.6 per cent in 2024, compared to the previous year with cooks receiving an 11 per cent jump, it said.

According to the report, in tier I cities like Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi, average minimum salaries rose by 10 per cent, reflecting both demand and the higher cost of living.

While freshers saw a 3 per cent decline in average minimum salary, experienced workers received a 14 per cent increase, showing that employers are willing to pay a premium for reliable and skilled domestic help, it added.