Palm Beach housekeepers are earning salaries of up to $250,000 after a shortage of workers for wealthy homes and luxury hotels led to a spike in hourly wages.
The influx of wealthy families to the popular Florida city from high-tax areas like New York has also increased demand, with many now looking to their mansions for help.
This has led to a booming business for butlers, now called “hospitality managers” or “property managers,” private chefs, nannies, drivers, security guards and, especially, housekeepers.
It means that, while it was once considered a humble, blue-collar job, those working in the cleaning industry can now earn staggering sums.
The typical salary for a housekeeper used to be $25 an hour in 2020. Today, it has increased to almost $50 an hour. CNBC reported.
Palm Beach housekeepers are living large, earning more than $150,000, as a shortage of workers for wealthy households and luxury hotels has led to rising hourly wages.
The influx of wealthy families to the popular Florida city from high-tax areas like New York has also increased demand, with many now looking to their mansions for help.
Annually, experienced homemakers earn more than 150,000 benefits, including 401(k) plans, health insurance and overtime.
April Berube, owner and founder of Wellington Agency, told DailyMail.com that she has more than 30 years of experience hiring all types of domestic staff, including private chefs, nannies and housekeepers.
“The biggest demand we’re seeing right now is in Miami, Palm Beach and still New York and the Hamptons,” he said, adding that his clients typically have multiple homes. Berube also said there has been a massive migration of customers from California, especially from Los Angeles.
Berube revealed that when families move, they often bring a senior executive housekeeper with them and look for local housekeepers in the new area, which is especially common in areas like the Hamptons, where they only spend summers in the home.
He said there is a huge demand for domestic workers in Palm Beach – and the job is the highest paying – but Berube insists not everyone is cut out for the job.
‘We require a minimum of five years of experience working in the field you are applying for. So whether you’re a nanny or a housekeeper, you have to have a history and experience working in the industry,” Berube said.
‘It takes a certain person to work for high-profile, high-net-worth families. So you can’t just come from another industry or be a housekeeper or a cleaning service; “There is a lot of experience and training involved when hiring housekeepers at this level.”
April Berube, owner and founder of Wellington Agency, told DailyMail.com she has more than 30 years of experience placing all types of domestic staff.
Marta Magarelli started working in the sector when she was only 25 years old and has already accumulated more than 30 years of experience.
Berube also highlighted that an important requirement for all his staff is confidentiality.
‘They have to sign confidentiality agreements. We have to make sure that when we call their references, we call all the families they have worked with before,” he revealed.
‘We’re asking how discreet these people are: are they gossips? Because our reputation is at stake. “We cannot hire people who have not worked at this level and who are not trustworthy.”
Berube said well-trained housewives are currently in control of their own salary because they are in high demand and families no longer determine what their salary is. She revealed that cleaners are looking for between $45 and $50 an hour, plus benefits and paid vacations.
Palm Beach families have especially high standards and expectations for their household staff, which makes sense given the impressive salaries. According to Berube, housekeepers must wear special uniforms and keep the mansions in optimal condition, all without getting in the way of the family.
Housekeepers and cleaning staff are increasingly proud of their positions as they become more valued and better paid, Berube said.
He revealed that the highest salaries he is seeing are in Florida, specifically Miami and Palm Beach, where one of his housekeepers just earned an annual salary of $250,000.
DailyMail.com spoke to an executive housekeeper who was assigned to a New York City family with two children through the Wellington Agency.
Marta Magarelli started working in the sector when she was only 25 years old and has already accumulated more than 30 years of experience. Her current family lives in New York, but she travels to Palm Beach for four months each winter.
After many years of practice and trying out multiple different roles, he has earned a salary of between $120,000 and $130,000 per year. The competitive salary comes as demand for domestic help has skyrocketed in Palm Beach.
Magarelli said that to run a home successfully, you have to be incredibly detailed, precise and organized.
The typical salary for a housekeeper used to be $25 an hour in 2020. Today, it has increased to almost $50 an hour. Annually, experienced homemakers earn more than 150,000 benefits, including 401(k) plans, health insurance and overtime.
While she said experience comes with time, Magarelli revealed that she took an organization class to hone her cleaning skills.
Magarelli said her favorite part of the job is the people: She loves the family she currently works for and says it’s a “healthy environment,” especially compared to previous homes she worked at.
Her main advice to any member of the domestic staff who finds themselves in a bad environment is to remember that it is just a job and you have to deal with the situation, go home and let it go.
She highlighted that there is a big difference between housewives and cleaners.
She says that as a housekeeper you have to “wear many hats,” including nanny, driver and chef. She says you have to be on top of everything and always be two steps ahead.
Magarelli said you have to be prepared to drop everything for your family, even if they say, “Can you get on a plane and come to New York City” at any time?
But the Sunshine State’s glow may be wearing off among Americans who moved to Florida during the pandemic.
But Florida appears to be losing its shine as disillusioned newcomers find the state less idyllic than they expected, despite abundant sunshine and tax breaks.
With an average of 250 days of sunshine a year, it’s easy to see why the state’s appeal is so strong, especially for those from northern climates where cold and clouds dominate, but after a stint in the south, some are giving up that dream. .
And it’s not long before those packing their bags list a number of reasons why they’ve had enough.
While many who participated in the national migration south fell in love with the state, others have grown tired of the extreme heat, hurricanes, dangerous native wildlife like crocodiles and alligators, and the rising cost of living.
Florida had a population boom during the pandemic, with more than 700,000 people moving there in 2022.
The state with the highest number of transplants was New York, with 90,000 leaving the Empire State for Florida in 2022, according to census data, reviewed by Shannon Pettypiece of NBC News.
The weather can also be brutal, as hurricanes are a common occurrence and an ever-present risk. In the photo, an American flag is seen among the rubble of a home after a hurricane in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, last August.
Census Bureau data also reveals that Florida was still the second-fastest growing state in July 2023, but there could soon be a sharp decline in those numbers as more people make a U-turn in their U-trucks. Haul.
But while hundreds of thousands of people became Florida residents in 2022 drawn by the promise of spectacular weather, no income taxes and lower costs overall, nearly 500,000 left that same year.
Some of those who left blame rising insurance costs, a hostile political environment, worsening traffic and extreme weather.
When it comes to cost of living, consumer prices in South Florida increased nearly 5 percent year over year compared to 3.2 percent nationwide.
Just a few years ago, Florida’s real estate market had bargain prices, but now it’s the opposite, with prices up 60 percent since 2020.
The median home price is $388,500, according to Zillow. This is slightly above the median home price in the United States, which is around $384,000.