Shanghai is currently suffering from domestic help shortage as many head back to their home provinces to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. Families in the city are now scrambling to get some help around the house.
Majority of "ayis" or domestic helpers enjoyed nearly 50-percent increase in their wages, allowing them to make their respective trips back home. Their employers, however, face the problem of lacking household help because of this. Most families are already trying to arrange for alternative now, even though the Spring Festival is yet to come on Feb. 19.
"We noticed a sharp rise in numbers of ayis leaving for home from January 4," shared Sun Li, deputy general manager at yunjiazheng.com, which is the top online supplier of domestic services.
The company claims to have one-third of Shanghai's estimated 600,000 ayis under its employment.
"Within a couple of days, 5 percent of our ayi said they wouldn't be available until after Spring Festival," Sun added.
Interviews held with Shanghai agencies across the city confirmed that at least 50 percent of ayis are going home by the end of the month. By the Chinese New Year's Eve, 80 percent of ayis will be at their homes in their respective provinces. And of those remaining, only 2 percent will be taking temporary jobs, Sun shared.
Becoming an ayi for the past months have been a lucrative option for many. Ayis can earn up to 28 yuan per hour, and even 30 yuan, if the employer is happy with the performance. This is a stark jump from the 20-22-yuan per hour ayis were earning before. There was a shortage of ayis in the recent years, leading to the increase in domestic helper wages.