Local nanny wages surge amid boom

Babysitting services are in such tight supply amid the travel restrictions on foreign domestic helpers that some new parents have been willing to pay agencies a deposit based on the one-year wages of a local nanny.

A new mother told The Standard she had to prepay part of the one-year wages to secure a contract, which also covers several months of postnatal-care services - pui yuet. And the fee cannot be refunded if she is not satisfied with the work. Clients, instead,will just be referred another candidate.

Some agencies have also seen the pay of nannies grow by more than 30 percent to HK$80 an hour from the prepandemic rate of HK$60. The rate goes as high as HK$110, based on experience, which suggests a monthly pay of up to HK$22,880 if a nanny works eight hours a day, 26 days a month.

Pui yuet is focused more on providing live-in care for both the mom and the newborn in traditional Chinese confinement customs during the postpartum period and the work usually lasts from half a month to three months.

Hiring postnatal carers requires a deposit as the service usually needs to be booked around half a year before the birth, allowing maternity nurses to arrange their schedules for different employers.

The percentage is usually 10 to 20 percent of postnatal carers' monthly wages, with some of the agencies also charging a certain percentage of the carer's monthly salary as administrative fees, according to several agencies.

The Consumer Council found in October that deposits for pui yuet services can be up to 50 percent of the maternity nurses' first month's pay. But there is no convention on how much deposits should be prepaid to hire a regular nanny.

It depends more on negotiations between the nanny and employers, according to Paul Chan Sik-cheong, marketing manager of Doula Easy, a Hong Kong-based agency that helps match nannies and postnatal carers with employers.

Most maternity nurses do not work as nannies as postnatal carers usually get higher pay, Chan said.

A senior postnatal carer working for eight hours a day, 26 days a month can make between HK$21,000 and HK$34,000, according to the council's report. But there is a considerable discrepancy in how agencies define a "senior" postnatal carer, it added.

Seven of 17 agencies it surveyed charge an administration fee of up to HK$6,800.

Meanwhile, nannies usually charge HK$70 to HK$110 an hour based on their experience, according to several agencies' websites. So if a nanny works eight hours a day, 26 days a month, the monthly pay is from HK$14,560 and HK$22,880.

Chan said the market has seen a shortage of nannies due to travel restrictions.

Inquiries rose 20 to 30 percent year on year on the Doula Easy platform. Nannies' wages rose about 10 to 20 percent from a year ago, Chan added.

Foreign helpers also saw a monthly pay rise of nearly 10 percent to HK$5,288, the highest in three years, due to a curbs-linked shortage, according to a survey released last week.

Although demand outstrips supply, nanny services, especially pui yuet, can be complicated and difficult as they work in personal environments and give care to vulnerable newborns.

The council warned that Hong Kong currently has no regulatory framework on the qualifications of postnatal carers, making it harder for consumers to verify their relevant work experience.

Also, a Facebook group called Hong Kong Black List Maternity Helper, where parents share their unhappy experiences with maternity helpers - from their hygiene to slack attitudes - has attracted nearly 30,000 members.

caroline.zheng@singtaonewscorp.com