CRI听力:Maid in China

Mrs. Liao, a resident of Beijing, has just found a new maid to replace her former one who recently left. Over the past decade, Mrs. Liao has always had a maid to help take care of her ill husband. But she laments that wages for maids have risen steadily during the last two years.

"When you select a maid from an agency, you are told that you have to pay at least 1,800 yuan or 2,000 a month; otherwise, they won't go with you. We know it's not easy for them to leave their hometowns and come to work in the city. We do our best to be considerate."

Mrs. Liao says she paid her previous maid 1,000 yuan a month last year, but must now pay her current maid double that amount.

Besides increasing wages for maids with around-the-clock availability, wages for house cleaners paid by the hour have risen as well.

Mrs. Yang, another Beijing resident, says the cleaning lady she employs comes to her home twice a week.

"Previously, I paid her 10 yuan an hour. Then it rose to 12 yuan and eventually 15 yuan an hour. Now they're asking for 20 yuan an hour for cleaning."

Why has the cost of maid service risen sharply over the last few years?

Lin Fengqin, manager of a house-cleaning service agency, says the major reason is that few people from rural areas are willing to do the job in cities.

"If they can earn 1,000 or 2,000 yuan in their hometowns, who would still be willing to leave their home and come to Beijing for a job as a maid? Now that life in rural areas is improving, fewer people are coming to cities for work. Therefore, there is a large demand for maids but the fact that fewer workers are available has meant higher costs."

Lin Fengqin says Beijing needs about 400,000 maids each year, but 20 or 30 percent of this demand cannot be met, especially during the annual Spring Festival holiday when unmet demand can reach as high as 40 percent.

There is another reason for the increased costs of hiring maids who provide higher standards of service. Mu Lijie, Deputy Director of the Beijing Homemaking Service Association, explains.

"Previously, the service the maids provided was very simple. For example, when taking care of an elderly person or a baby, the maid was only required to make sure they didn't get hurt and were properly feeded. But now things are different. Maids are required to be able to use electronic appliances and know about early childhood education. Therefore, both the requirements and demand for qualified maids are on the rise."

Besides more requirements for maids by employers, the maids themselves have also been making an effort to become more qualified and capable in hopes of making more money.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.