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Domestic housekeeper

Also called housekeeper, house manager, domestic couple

Domestic housekeepers are responsible for all the household activities in a private house. They oversee and execute duties according to the needs of the employer such as cooking, cleaning and washing activities, taking care of children and gardening. They order supplies and are in charge of expenditures allocated. Domestic housekeepers may supervise and instruct household staff in large households.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects26 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Personal service workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €900 (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Personal service workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Personal service workersWill AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Domestic housekeepers · ILO

What you'd do

Domestic housekeepers · ILO
  • Supervising workers employed in households as domestic staff
  • Purchasing or controlling the purchase of supplies
  • Controlling storage and issue of supplies
  • Assisting in cases of minor injury or illness by performing tasks such as taking temperature, giving medicine, putting on bandages
  • Sweeping or vacuum-cleaning, washing and polishing floors, furniture and other fixtures
  • Making beds, cleaning bathrooms, supplying towels, soap and related items
  • Taking care of household pets and plants, receiving visitors, answering telephones, delivering messages and shopping for groceries
  • Preparing and cooking meals, setting and clearing tables and serving food and beverages
  • Cleaning kitchens and generally helping with kitchen work, including dishwashing
Clean roomsSupervise housekeeping operationsBuy groceriesRemove dustVacuum surfaces+ 17 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as personal service workers in the EU
10.21m10.63m10.46m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
3,074,000 replacing leavers 244,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Personal service workers26
All jobs29
Right now
3 of 27 countries report a shortage of domestic housekeepers, 6 a surplus.
Domestic housekeepers · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €900 a month (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among service and sales workers in the EU, women earn 3% less per hour than men. Service and sales workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of personal service workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 15%Vocational 46%General secondary 16%Basic schooling 23%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Very little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.20 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Purchasing or controlling the purchase of supplies0.37
Taking care of household pets and plants, receiving visitors, answering telephones, delivering messages and shopping for groceries0.28
Controlling storage and issue of supplies0.28
Supervising workers employed in households as domestic staff0.27
Making beds, cleaning bathrooms, supplying towels, soap and related items0.14
Preparing and cooking meals, setting and clearing tables and serving food and beverages0.14
Cleaning kitchens and generally helping with kitchen work, including dishwashing0.12
Assisting in cases of minor injury or illness by performing tasks such as taking temperature, giving medicine, putting on bandages0.10
Sweeping or vacuum-cleaning, washing and polishing floors, furniture and other fixtures0.09

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for domestic housekeepers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).