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.
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.
The average Aussie paid $952 for hired help, resulting in a national total of over $6 billion spent on outsourced housework each year.
The research found 15% hired a cleaner, while 13% hired someone to help with gardening and other outdoor tasks.
Painting (7%), household maintenance (6%), and babysitting (4%) round out the most popular chores offloaded.
Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said a growing number of households are bringing in outside help.
"The trend is part of a wider social shift to dual employed households becoming the norm.
"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."
Cleaning services accounted for an average spend of $716, contributing to a national total of $2.2 billion.
Painting projects represented the largest expense, with Australians spending an average of $1,825 over the past 12 months.
Pike said people value their limited free time and prefer to spend it on leisure or family rather than chores.
"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."
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.
Pike said if outsourcing chores is straining your budget, consider finding other affordable ways to manage your household.
"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.
"If you're looking to hire someone, get multiple quotes and compare prices.
"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.
Men (33%) were slightly more likely than women (29%) to pay someone outside of their household to complete chores.
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 |  |
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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