A South Florida cleaning company is raking in the cash.
Housekeepers in South Florida are making about $150,000 a year as an influx of new, wealthy residents creates a bidding war for premium cleaners. The staffing company told NBC News..
“I’ve been staffing for 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said April Berube, founder of the Wellington Agency, which provides domestic staffing in Florida, New York and other areas.
“Palm Beach and Miami, in particular, are seeing a surge in people moving here.”
In recent years, Florida has seen an influx of new immigrants from New York and other high-tax states seeking to take advantage of the state’s lack of a personal income tax.
In 2022 alone, more than 91,000 New Yorkers left New York state for Florida. According to Census Bureau data.
And now that the house is full, there is cleaning to be done.
“It’s great for the housekeepers,” Berube said. “For us, it’s very difficult. We have a severe labor shortage.”
Apartment complexes, hotels, resorts and businesses are all competing for cleaning staff, driving up wages for these positions.
Hourly wages for housekeepers have soared from about $25 in 2020 to $45 or $50 now, according to some agencies.
In Palm Beach, housekeepers with experience working for wealthy families typically earn between $120,000 and $150,000 a year, including 401(k) plans, health insurance and other benefits, including overtime pay.
Melissa Psitos, founder of Lily Pond Services, told NBC News that a client in the area recently hired a lead housekeeper for $250,000 a year, including overtime, and that employee would travel with the family to other homes.
“At first they’re shocked and say, ‘I can’t pay you that,'” Berube explains. “And it’s awkward for me to tell them that amount. But when they try to hire someone at a lower wage and with less experience, they almost always come back to us and say, ‘I’ve learned my lesson and I’m willing to pay you for the experience.'”
She noted that housekeepers at this level need special tools and skills, such as moving quietly and stealthily and knowing how to carefully clean antiques, so there are far fewer available hires than demand.
“There’s just not enough supply,” she said.
