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Families squeezed as salaries for domestic helpers rise quickly
By Xu Wenwen |
December 28, 2011, Wednesday
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SOME new mothers in Hangzhou are quitting their jobs because they can't afford to pay an ayi (domestic helper), whose salaries have soared in the past year.
Cindy Wang, 27, gave birth to a baby girl three months ago. Since neither her parents or parents-in-law live in Hangzhou, she was looking for an ayi, yet was scared off by the price - at least 2,500 yuan (US$395) per month.
"That's equal to my salary," says Wang, who works as a receptionist. Wang and her husband earn some 10,000 yuan a month. With a 4,000-yuan mortgage payment each month, they have a lean budget.
Last week, Wang resigned. "It's only temporary, I will go back to work, or I will be abandoned by society," she says.
At Zhaohui Housekeeping Labor Market in Hangzhou, ayis looking for jobs say they will not accept anything below 2,500 yuan per month. Some experienced maids charge more than 3,000 yuan a month.
Also, many full-time ayis live and eat in the homes of their employers, adding to costs.
"In the first half of this year, the average monthly salary was around 2,000 yuan," says Zhan Weiqin, director of Zhaohui Housekeeping Labor Market.
"It's not common that new mothers quit their jobs because of the high salary of ayis, but it does happen," Zhan adds.
Ayis say inflation has forced them to seek higher salaries.
"Commodity prices in my hometown of Jiangxi Province are almost the same as those in Hangzhou, and I have to save more money for my family back there," says an ayi surnamed Wu.
Domestic helpers also have a strong social network and talk with other ayis about salaries often.
Young mother Zhao Jihong says she hired an ayi this March for 2,200 yuan a month. In June, the domestic helper asked for 2,500 yuan per month because "other ayis in the neighborhood all charge 2,500 yuan now." Last month, she asked for 2,800 yuan for the same reason.
"My salary is stagnant, how can I afford hers?" Zhao says.
She fired the domestic helper but didn't hire a new one because "changing ayis frequently is not good for my baby." Two weeks ago, Zhao says she handed in her resignation.
However, the salary of Zhao's ayi is dwarfed when compared with the salary of high-end domestic helpers.
Yan Xuhong, who works in a villa in the west of Hangzhou, earns 4,500 yuan every month, and lives with the family.
"I am not the one earning the most in the neighborhood," Yan says. "I know there's a very experienced ayi who gets 6,000 yuan per month."
According to Chinese tradition, employers are required to give ayis extra money during festivals and sometimes reward them with gifts.
In addition, as Chinese New Year is coming, it is ordinary to see a shortage of ayis in big cities as soaring living costs are blamed for forcing workers to return home or try their luck elsewhere.
The aging population also contributes to the lack of housekeepers as well.
"The number of migrant workers who want to be an ayi is decreasing," says Yu Manhua, a manager in Yinjie Housekeeping Agency.
"A majority of ayis in the market are in their 50s, who, some years later, are going to retire; while people in their 40s need to take care of their own family, and those in 20s and 30s are reluctant to be housekeepers," she says.
"An ayi's salary is based on many elements, including number of people in the family, size of the house and the baby's age, but given that demand exceeds supply, many ayis prefer to ask for a high salary, and wait until they get what they want," Yu says.
Zhan says solving the problem will require perfecting the system of access to the domestic help industry.
"There's a the system for the taxi industry, where cabbies are required to have a driver's license and high school diploma," Zhan says. "Maybe the government can introduce similar measures to the housekeeping industry."
Cindy Wang, 27, gave birth to a baby girl three months ago. Since neither her parents or parents-in-law live in Hangzhou, she was looking for an ayi, yet was scared off by the price - at least 2,500 yuan (US$395) per month.
"That's equal to my salary," says Wang, who works as a receptionist. Wang and her husband earn some 10,000 yuan a month. With a 4,000-yuan mortgage payment each month, they have a lean budget.
Last week, Wang resigned. "It's only temporary, I will go back to work, or I will be abandoned by society," she says.
At Zhaohui Housekeeping Labor Market in Hangzhou, ayis looking for jobs say they will not accept anything below 2,500 yuan per month. Some experienced maids charge more than 3,000 yuan a month.
Also, many full-time ayis live and eat in the homes of their employers, adding to costs.
"In the first half of this year, the average monthly salary was around 2,000 yuan," says Zhan Weiqin, director of Zhaohui Housekeeping Labor Market.
"It's not common that new mothers quit their jobs because of the high salary of ayis, but it does happen," Zhan adds.
Ayis say inflation has forced them to seek higher salaries.
"Commodity prices in my hometown of Jiangxi Province are almost the same as those in Hangzhou, and I have to save more money for my family back there," says an ayi surnamed Wu.
Domestic helpers also have a strong social network and talk with other ayis about salaries often.
Young mother Zhao Jihong says she hired an ayi this March for 2,200 yuan a month. In June, the domestic helper asked for 2,500 yuan per month because "other ayis in the neighborhood all charge 2,500 yuan now." Last month, she asked for 2,800 yuan for the same reason.
"My salary is stagnant, how can I afford hers?" Zhao says.
She fired the domestic helper but didn't hire a new one because "changing ayis frequently is not good for my baby." Two weeks ago, Zhao says she handed in her resignation.
However, the salary of Zhao's ayi is dwarfed when compared with the salary of high-end domestic helpers.
Yan Xuhong, who works in a villa in the west of Hangzhou, earns 4,500 yuan every month, and lives with the family.
"I am not the one earning the most in the neighborhood," Yan says. "I know there's a very experienced ayi who gets 6,000 yuan per month."
According to Chinese tradition, employers are required to give ayis extra money during festivals and sometimes reward them with gifts.
In addition, as Chinese New Year is coming, it is ordinary to see a shortage of ayis in big cities as soaring living costs are blamed for forcing workers to return home or try their luck elsewhere.
The aging population also contributes to the lack of housekeepers as well.
"The number of migrant workers who want to be an ayi is decreasing," says Yu Manhua, a manager in Yinjie Housekeeping Agency.
"A majority of ayis in the market are in their 50s, who, some years later, are going to retire; while people in their 40s need to take care of their own family, and those in 20s and 30s are reluctant to be housekeepers," she says.
"An ayi's salary is based on many elements, including number of people in the family, size of the house and the baby's age, but given that demand exceeds supply, many ayis prefer to ask for a high salary, and wait until they get what they want," Yu says.
Zhan says solving the problem will require perfecting the system of access to the domestic help industry.
"There's a the system for the taxi industry, where cabbies are required to have a driver's license and high school diploma," Zhan says. "Maybe the government can introduce similar measures to the housekeeping industry."
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