The price of hiring a mover or a cleaner is taking a bigger chunk than ever out of American taxpayers’ budgets, according to government statistics.
In May, the price of moving, storage, and shipping expenses ballooned 5.5 percent month over month. The moving index rose 16.2 percent in contrast to a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The last time the cost of shelter services moved so much was when a record high was reached in October 2017 with a massive 5.1 percent rise. Generally, the index rises only two-tenths of a point every month.
The CPI also tracks a category it calls domestic services, which excludes lawn care and is mostly the cost of cleaners. The Index showed cleaning prices rose 6.4 percent in May, a twofold increase over the previous highest gain set in December of 2020.
The price hike before COVID-19
The last big rise happened long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in October of 2006 when prices increased a modest-by-comparison 2.6 percent.
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Now, based on yearly stats, domestic and industrial cleaning services and products are hitting an unprecedented record-high increase of 13.7 percent.
The (CPI) statistical records are based on the outlay of almost all dwellers in urban or metropolitan areas and the spending patterns of the population groups.
The excessive demand for cleaners is speculated to be caused by a labor shortage induced by the COVID-19 pandemic unemployment benefit, which now sees many workers earning more money staying at home than they would at a job.
In a different report, the Labor Department stated there were almost 6.4 million individuals on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The program started last year and offers unemployment insurance to contractors, individuals searching for part-time work, and the self-employed who have been impacted by government measures related to the pandemic.
Regarding core goods and services, prices excluding food and energy prices jumped 0.7 percent in May, increasing 3.8 percent year over year. The gain was the most significant monthly jump since June of 1992.
