As many housekeepers left Dongguan to visit their hometowns for Chinese new year holiday, Dongguan once again faced a "housekeeper crisis," a situation that has been all to familiar for the past few years. But this year's situation is, in some respects, worse.
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An empty local housekeeper service in Dongguan during Chinese New Year holiday. The traditional holiday has brought a houskeepers shortage to Dongguan homes. |
Despite the average salary for a housekeeper rising by 5% to 1500 RMB per month in 2009, last year saw a 20% decrease of people practicing in the field, Dongguan Times reported on Feb. 20th. The shortage has been highlighted as almost 1/3 of those left Dongguan for the Spring Festival in January, as reported by Guangzhou Daily on January 28th.
Higher salaries in Guangzhou and Shenzhen and an increasing demand for labour in local factories are blamed for the shortage of housekeepers in Dongguan.
(By Morvin Chow)
