Hired help: 1 in 3 Aussies outsource household jobs to the tune of $6 billion a year
Millions of Australians are turning to paid services to manage their homes, according to new research by Finder.
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A Finder survey of 1,029 respondents revealed 1 in 3 (31%) – equivalent to 6.5 million people – have outsourced chores around the house in the past 12 months.
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The average Aussie paid $952 for hired help, resulting in a national total of over $6 billion spent on outsourced housework each year.
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The research found 15% hired a cleaner, while 13% hired someone to help with gardening and other outdoor tasks.
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Painting (7%), household maintenance (6%), and babysitting (4%) round out the most popular chores offloaded.
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Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said a growing number of households are bringing in outside help.
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"The trend is part of a wider social shift to dual employed households becoming the norm.
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"Many people are weighing up the cost of their own time versus the price of outsourcing, and for some, it's a no-brainer to pay for help."
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Cleaning services accounted for an average spend of $716, contributing to a national total of $2.2 billion.
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Painting projects represented the largest expense, with Australians spending an average of $1,825 over the past 12 months.
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Pike said people value their limited free time and prefer to spend it on leisure or family rather than chores.
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"With busy schedules and the rise of the 'convenience economy,' hiring someone to take care of household tasks is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury for many Australians."
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In 2021, nearly a third (31%) of Australian families had both parents working full-time, up from 22% in 2009, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
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Pike said if outsourcing chores is straining your budget, consider finding other affordable ways to manage your household.
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"Splitting up chores can significantly reduce the burden, so if you are in the position to do so, consider asking a housemate or a family member to divide and conquer the load.
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"If you're looking to hire someone, get multiple quotes and compare prices.
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"There are plenty of free tutorials on YouTube that can save money hiring people for small jobs, so use this to your advantage," Pike said.
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Men (33%) were slightly more likely than women (29%) to pay someone outside of their household to complete chores.
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Have you paid somebody outside your family to do any of the following chores in the past 12 months?
| Cleaning | 15% |
| Gardening/Outdoor garden work (e.g. staining a deck) | 13% |
| Painting | 7% |
| Household maintenance (e.g. hanging curtains, assembling furniture) | 6% |
| Babysitting | 4% |
| No, but I plan to | 4% |
| None of the above | 69% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,029 respondents, February 2025 |  |
Sources
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Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,029 respondents from February 2024.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
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