Boomtime for housekeeping service providers

Hiring needs from families and enterprises show steady expansion as contagion prevention controls enter normalized stage in China

Demand for housekeeping services among Chinese families has rebounded as COVID-19 increasingly comes under control in the country after the sector experienced a major hit due to the pandemic.

China's contagion prevention and control has entered a normalized stage, and businesses have resumed nearly normal operations. Domestic helpers have been allowed to enter residential areas again.

Therefore the industry's recruiting demand has seen a significant resurgence starting from the latter half of the year, said a new report by 58 Tongcheng Recruitment Research Institute.

On the recruitment side, in the first eight months, China demonstrated strong demand for security guards, part-time domestic helpers, cleaners, nannies and water delivery staff.

Strong hiring demand was seen in July and August. Demand for trash sorters surged 183.83 percent year-on-year during the eight-month period, the report said.

In recent years, the government has issued a series of policies to promote the classification of waste, and the number of cities that have begun to implement trash classification requirements is increasing.

In addition to Beijing and Shanghai, Wuhan of Hubei province and Sanya of Hainan province, among other cities, have newly introduced garbage classification requirements. The trend has driven higher demand for sorters who are tasked with trash classification guidance and management.

"With China gradually entering an era of mandatory garbage classification, trash sorting positions will increase," said Zhao Wenbo, an analyst at LeadLeo Research Institute, a market research provider.

From the job-hunting side, from January to August, overall demand for those seeking positions in the housekeeping sector grew 11.59 percent on a yearly basis. Demand for trash classifiers surged 240.34 percent year-on-year－the highest growth in the sector during the period, said the Tongcheng report.

Meanwhile, demand for nursing assistants and orderlies－those who help take care of patients' daily needs in healthcare facilities－jumped 68.88 percent year-on-year. Demand for cleaners rose 50.01 percent over the same period, the report found.

During the eight-month period, the average monthly salary of employees in the housekeeping sector stood at 7,489 yuan ($1,118), while the monthly salary of nannies taking care of newborns and new moms reached 10,086 yuan, the highest in the sector. Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces as well as Beijing saw the highest demand for domestic helpers.

"Being a postpartum nanny is a job that requires certain skills and experience and is a very tough position. Thus, the monthly salary－especially for those with professional training－tops other positions in the sector," said the report.

In addition, in the first eight months, the average salary of employees who work in pet care and cosmetology came in at 9,676 yuan a month, growing 33.86 percent year-on-year. Chinese consumers have been increasingly willing to invest more money in pet care, and this has prompted rapid salary growth for those engaged in such professional services.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a large number of brick-and-mortar stores suspended operations for contagion prevention reasons. Some sales staff and servers at restaurants then shifted careers to the housekeeping sector, and the number of people seeking related jobs has climbed accordingly.