More training needed to meet demand for nannies

Han Fang, a woman in Tianjin, is very worried these days, as she has not yet found a suitable nanny.

"I'm looking for an experienced postnatal nanny who can care for a new-born baby and cook for the mother, as my daughter will give birth in February. But the problem is, the birth will coincide with Spring Festival and most nannies will go back home for holiday," she said.

"Many agencies told me they won't have any experienced nannies available then, although there may be some without postnatal care experience."

Han is by no means alone in her suffering.

In recent years, the demand for domestic help has been rising rapidly across the country, and there will be an enormous shortfall in domestic staff during the holiday as most domestic helpers will return to their hometowns for family reunions.

Domestic helpers generally perform a variety of services for a family, such as postnatal care, caring for children and the elderly, household maintenance, cooking, food shopping and other household errands.

With the country's economic progress in the past decades, an increasing number of affluent urban families are hiring a domestic helper. But the supply of qualified domestic helpers lags far behind the demand. In Beijing alone, there are nearly 800,000 families reportedly seeking domestic helpers.