Read our full analysis for a more in-depth look at these trends.
Housework: When time is money
Demand for home services has slowed, squeezing households’ leisure hours. Can tech help them get some downtime back?
April 2025
Key takeaways
- The home services industry has largely recovered from declines in spending seen during the pandemic, but increased costs-of-living may now be a drag on the industry. While higher-income households continue to spend for home services, lower-income households have pulled back.
- However, rising labor force participation rates could give it a fresh boost, as people have less time to do their own chores and caring roles. Higher earners may outsource these tasks, while others may have to carry on doing them. This unpaid work – predominantly done by women – contributes as much to economic well-being as the average value added by the manufacturing sector.
- In time, some of these tasks may be outsourced to robots, which could save time and increase productivity. According to a recent study, 59% of grocery shopping and 46% of household cleaning tasks may be automatable in the next 10 years.
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