The past two weeks have been difficult for Nanshan resident Zhang Ping and her family. After their maid quit her job and went back to her home in Hunan in January to avoid the Spring Festival travel rush, there has been no one to look after Zhang's 4-year-old boy.

Zhang's troubles are shared by many families in Shenzhen. A large number of domestic helpers leave early before the end of the lunar year to be reunited with their families. There is a shortage of an estimated 100,000 domestic helpers in Shenzhen at this time of the year, according to Meng Jun, vice chairman of the Shenzhen domestic service association.

"The demand for domestic helpers is 300,000 in Shenzhen. The need can be just met on normal days. But about one-third choose to leave for home within one month before the Spring Festival. Meanwhile few would come to Shenzhen to look for jobs at this time of the year," said Meng.

Even higher wages cannot persuade most of the helpers to stay. The average domestic helper receives between 800 and 1,200 yuan (US$104-154) a month. Nurses hired to take care of newborns and their mothers are paid between 1,500 and 4,000 yuan monthly. Employers pay several hundred yuan more to hire maids during the period before the Spring Festival, if they can find them. Those who stay in the city also receive extra money during the Spring Festival.

Shenzhen has a great demand for domestic helpers, as most city residents lead busy lives. Besides, about 300 babies are born in the city each day, giving the domestic service market an extra fillip, Meng said.

The city's domestic service association has predicted that the shortage in domestic helpers, especially qualified ones, will last for a while.

"Many domestic helpers haven't treated the domestic service as a profession. As long as their children's schooling, their medical care and living places in Shenzhen cannot be decently solved, their roots are always in their hometowns, and there would always be a lack of well-trained domestic helpers, especially during the time before the Spring Festival," Meng said.

He also called on relevant government departments to introduce policies to regularize the domestic service market, standardize service contracts, and ensure the quality and number of domestic helpers in Shenzhen.

Editor: Yan