The demand for house help has been increasing as the Lunar New Year nears but there are few interested despite the increased wages offered.

Pham Minh Trang in HCM City's District 5 said her family have a housemaid who has returned home for Tet holiday since January 23, so she is facing difficulties doing housework and taking care of her six-year-old son who was also off from school for Tet.

"My husband and I both have to work until January 26," Trang explained. "So we're trying to find another housemaid to help us but it seems very difficult at this time."

Not only local families but restaurants are also in the same situation.

Thuy Trang, owner of a restaurant in District 1 said that she hasn't been able to find some more temporary workers for the restaurant which is becoming busier during this time.

According to Nguyen Thi Van Anh, director of HCM City-based 24h Housemaid Services Company, they have been receiving increasing numbers of orders for housemaids over the last week but had to refuse many due to lack of supply.

"Most housemaids leave for their hometown to prepare for Tet so we're receiving few applicants for this job," Van Anh said, adding that most of the applicants only want to work part-time and the payment ranges from VND100,000-200,000 (USD4.45-8.90) per hour.

Nguyen Thanh Tam, head of the Human Resource Department at An Tam Company which also supplies housemaid service in HCM City's Binh Tan District, said that they had advertised for domestic workers for Tet three months ago but hadn't received enough applications.

"Many of the applicants are students who seek extra jobs," Tam said. "Most of them don't have experience but we still have to accept and provide some training."

According to Tran Anh Tuan, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Human Resource Forecasting and Labour Information, the demand for domestic help, child care, and elderly care usually rises sharply around Tet.

"This year the city needs about 3,000 workers doing these jobs," Tuan said. "But most local companies don't have enough supply."

Patient care assistant shortage in Hanoi

Patient care assistants are usually easy to find around some large hospitals in Hanoi like Bach Mai, Vietnam-Germany or the National Cancer hospitals. It is, however, extremely difficult to find staff these days as they have gone home for Tet.

Tran Thu Lan whose mother was hospitalised at Bach Mai three months ago due to stroke said that she and her husband were facing a difficult arranging time to take care of their ill mother in hospital as the assistant left for Tet a week ago and they haven't been able to find another.

"My husband and I had to turn ask for a leave at our offices to take care of my mother," Lan said. "I'm afraid we’ll have no Tet holiday this year because we have no time for preparations."

Due to a short supply, the price of patient care has also increased considerably.

Vu Dinh Huy a patient at the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital, said that the prices usually range between VND 200,000-300,000 a day but Tet prices are usually double or even triple that.

"But I can’t find an assistant on Lunar New Year Day even when I offer a payment four times higher than that," Huy said with a sigh.

Dtinews