Another case of a shortage of domestic helpers!

(Baonghean) - As government agencies and offices officially begin their first working day, many families are struggling to arrange household and work matters. This is because their domestic helpers haven't yet started their work year. Around this time, these helpers also have hundreds of reasons to leave their old employers and find new jobs or employers… The shortage of domestic helpers has become a difficult problem to solve!

Following the address on the flyer, I arrived at the address of the domestic helper placement center called "Long-Term Connection," managed by Mr. Ho Van Chien. It was only 8 am, but the place was already bustling with people waiting. They were chatting animatedly, recounting their troubles as the Lunar New Year approached and their domestic helpers hadn't shown up. For the past few days, their families had searched everywhere in the neighborhood without success, and now they were asking the center for help. "Well, at least it's a small fee, otherwise I'd have to quit my job and stay home to take care of the children. I've been waiting here for two days hoping to find a suitable helper, but I still haven't found one. I hired a very good helper during the year, but after the Lunar New Year, she announced she had family matters to attend to and couldn't come back."

In many families, the husband has to cook when the wife is away.

The company "Long-Term Connection" has been open for four years, primarily providing domestic helper placement services for families in need in Vinh City or Hanoi. According to Mr. Chien, domestic helpers are extremely scarce after the Lunar New Year. While most middle-aged helpers return after the full moon festival, young helpers are constantly looking for better opportunities, wanting to change jobs after the New Year to secure higher wages or move to the South to work for foreign companies for prestige. Mr. Chien stated: "Our company has over 100 families registered, but we've only managed to secure jobs for 30. I've distributed flyers everywhere, offering salaries 200-500 thousand dong higher than last year, and sent people to villages throughout districts like Tan Ky, Do Luong, and Thanh Chuong to find suitable domestic helpers. If they agree, we schedule an appointment and arrange for someone to pick them up at the bus station, but even that hasn't been successful."

At this center, domestic helpers will have accommodation if they are not yet employed and will not be charged a fee if a family needs to hire them. However, workers must sign the terms of the contract and are subject to penalties; for example, if they terminate the contract without reason, they will not receive 15 days' worth of wages from the previous month. Conversely, if the employer assigns more work than agreed upon in the contract, the domestic helper has the right to terminate the contract and still receive full payment. The domestic helper services are diverse, including student helpers working hourly at 30,000 VND per hour, or per session at 60,000 VND per session, with the price decreasing for more sessions. However, hiring a domestic helper during Tet (Lunar New Year) will cost between 150,000 and 200,000 VND per day. This year, monthly wages for domestic helpers have also increased compared to last year; if hired to look after children and help with household chores, the salary can start from 2,500,000 VND/month. Caring for the sick and elderly, as well as doing household chores, costs between 3,000,000 and 3,500,000 VND. The fee for finding a domestic helper through an agency is also not cheap, at 1,000,000 VND per person, and includes a contract with specific terms and conditions.

Through a friend's introduction, I met Ms. Huong in Nghi Kieu, who specializes in brokering domestic helpers for 700,000 VND. During our conversation, Ms. Huong said: "I supply domestic helpers to agencies in Vinh City; they are all good, capable workers. If you need someone around 45-55 years old, I'll only charge 800,000 VND, because this type is very rare." Ms. Huong promised I would have someone by the 15th of the lunar month, and I hoped for a new, dedicated, and skilled helper… However, when I discussed this with a friend who was also struggling to find a helper, she said: "Hiring a helper through a 'telephone broker' might sometimes get you a suitable person, but sometimes you lose money and end up with a problem. The helper might not do the job as expected, or they might have already paid the broker a considerable sum of money and run away, with the fee already paid to the broker at the time of handover." If the homeowner calls the "broker," they only get responses like: "I'll change it for you when I have someone else available" or: "That girl from the upper village has gone south, I don't even know her phone number. It's hard to find a domestic helper these days when they're in high demand. If you ever come to Vinh, I'll send you the fee," but she never goes to Vinh, "so the only option is to go to heaven to demand it back," my friend said.

According to those with decades of experience hiring domestic helpers, nowadays, these days' helpers are very demanding. If you don't cater to their needs and help with the housework, they'll find a way to leave and work for another family. Many are very loyal, dedicated to their work, and love children like their own grandchildren. When you entrust your home to them to earn a living, you don't have to worry about anything. But there are also helpers who only do the work half-heartedly; if you don't pitch in, the work will go wrong, they don't improve no matter how much you try to teach them, and they get sulky before you even say anything. Helpers aged 15-17 are quick and understand the work, but they are also prone to chasing trends, constantly on the phone, and getting involved in relationships, making it difficult to manage. However, without them, you really can't cope. So, if a family is lucky enough to find a honest, kind, and diligent helper, otherwise, they have to "grin and bear it" because finding a helper is truly not easy, especially after the Lunar New Year.

In today's world, domestic helpers are often likened to nannies or housekeepers; a family's life can be disrupted if they're absent for even a day, leaving children unattended and housework unattended. To find a satisfactory helper, besides their dedication and understanding that domestic work is a profession, not a mere "servant" as in the past, employers must also pay attention to training and treating their helpers with a balance of tact and strictness to ensure they perform their duties correctly without causing resentment. Currently, the profession of domestic work is clearly and specifically regulated in the Labor Code. Therefore, there are increasingly high demands regarding vocational training, training quality, employment policies, management, selection, and employment of domestic workers. In particular, there is a need to enhance the responsibility of employers of domestic workers and provide better care for them in accordance with the law.

Text and photos:Thanh Nga