Job agencies in Hanoi are seeing an increasing demand for housekeepers from families that have lost their aides after the year's biggest holiday break, Tet.

Housekeepers have become an important labour force and many urban families have been dependent on them. The demand for both house cleaners and baby sitters has increased remarkably over the past few years.

"In the last few days following the lunar New Year holiday, we received hundreds of phone calls from families who are looking for housekeepers," said Nguyen Thi Dinh from Hanoi 's Youth Job Intermediary Centre. "They are all in urgent need of housekeepers after the ones who worked for them before did not return after the Tet holiday."

The centre, however, is unable to cope with the families' urgent demand as most suitable candidates are still on holiday in the provinces.

"It is very hard to hire a housekeeper after Tet as the young ones, mostly teenagers, are still enjoying the holiday at home while the older ones want to extend their stay with their families," said Dinh.

It is not only big cities like Hanoi and HCM City either, other provinces are also seeing an increasing demand for housekeepers.

"The demand from Hanoi alone is overloaded, we can not take requests from other provinces," said Hanoi-based Tran Van Ha, who works as an intermediary for housekeepers.

Since demand increases, housekeepers have been asking for higher salaries.

"A housekeeper's salary has never been this high before," said director of Hanoi-based Tuan Lan Labour Supply Centre Tran Anh Tuan.

Less skilled housekeepers have asked for up to 1.2 million VND (63 USD) a month, 300,000-500,000 VND higher than in previous years. Those who are hired not only to do household tasks but also to baby-sit and take care of elders have requested monthly salaries of between 1.5-2 million VND. The recruitment fee has also increased from 480,000 VND to 600,000 VND.

Despite the higher salary, most housekeepers have found reasons to not come back or extended their stay at home.

"Some became busy with their own household tasks while others have found better jobs," said Dang Trung Hai, director of Hanoi 's Rural Investment and Development Joint Stock Company.

"We had a phone call from our housekeeper during Tet and she said she would not come back as her children would not let her go," said Tran Thi Minh from Hanoi 's Thanh Xuan District.

The shortage of housekeepers is also hitting restaurants and shops, which very much depend on their assistance. Owners of many restaurants and shops in Hanoi have had to work twice as hard to keep their businesses running after Tet.

"We opened on the sixth day of the lunar New Year but it's been four days since the deadline and our housekeepers are not back yet," said Anh Duc, owner of a beef barbecue restaurant on Ma May Street.

" Housekeepers have become an indispensable part of families in big cities where people are very busy with work," said deputy head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Welfare' Gender Equality Department Pham Nguyen Cuong. "They help share the housework, especially with the women."

To make the housekeepers come back, many families have had to promise to treat them better, pay them more and give them gifts and new clothes. Some have even visited their families in the provinces to persuade them to come back.

The majority of housekeepers are hired without labour contracts and that makes it easy for them to quit their jobs. Since housekeeping is not recognised as an occupation, the housekeepers do not have to take any responsibility for their work./.