Shanghai's upcoming regulation to benefit domestic workers

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai's regional regulation on household services industry will take effect on May 1, as China ramps up efforts in boosting the development of the sector and protecting rights and interests of domestic workers.

The regulation will enable domestic workers in Shanghai to access more urban public services, based on its point-based household registration system. Eligible non-native domestic workers in the megacity can apply for local hukou, or household registration, according to the regulation.

Public rental housing and government-supported affordable rental homes for low-income groups will also be available for domestic workers in Shanghai, and household services agencies are supported to rent public housing for their employees, the regulation said.

Supportive measures also include encouraging universities and vocational colleges to set up domestic services-related majors to offer opportunities for domestic workers to receive professional training and education.

Shanghai sees increasing demand for domestic services in recent years. More than one-third of Shanghai's over 8 million families are using or in need of domestic services, according to a survey conducted by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Offering services such as cleaning, cooking, and childcare, domestic workers, usually migrant workers from rural areas, have played an important role in improving the quality of household life in cities like Shanghai. Yet many of them are informal employees without labor contracts and professional training and economically vulnerable.