Time poor Brits turn to domestic help

Cash rich, time poor, 21st century lifestyles are forcing more households to employ domestic help according to new research from Barclays Premier Banking.

Research reveals that almost one in ten households currently employ at least one person and more than a quarter of households (27 per cent) have or are considering employing staff to help out with domestic work or chores. Of those who employ staff a massive 82 per cent employ cleaners, followed by 30 per cent gardeners, 17 per cent nannies and 16 per cent to do the ironing.

Time pressures are the main cause of the boom in domestic staff ­– 70 per cent claim that they do not have the time to do the duties themselves whilst 36 per cent prefer to spend their time doing other things. Overall a third state that they dislike doing chores.

Unsurprisingly, wealthier households are more likely to employ staff; almost one in six (17 per cent) of those earning more than £50,000 currently have at least one domestic helper and a further 25 per cent of this sector are considering hiring help or have done so previously.

The majority of those who do not employ domestic staff (49 per cent) cite affordability as the main reason. But the British obviously also have a penchant for housework as a similarly high number (41 per cent) claim that they prefer to do chores themselves. Despite this, a cleaner would still be the first choice for domestic help (52 per cent) followed by someone to do the ironing (11 per cent) or a personal trainer (10 per cent).

Jane Parry, director of marketing, Barclays Premier Banking, said: “Long gone are the ‘upstairs downstairs’ days of domestic staff which were the preserve of the nobility. In the 21st century we are all trying to cram as much into our lives as possible and will think nothing of taking on the help we need to do this. Employing someone to help with the house, the garden or the kids is viewed as a necessity rather than a luxury. Prioritising our time by letting someone else handle our finances, training regime or shopping is fundamental to our hectic modern lifestyles.”