KOLKATA: As life inches back towards pre-pandemic normal, blue-collar workers are back in demand. Domestic helps, babysitters and drivers have become sought-after as families return to offices.
Interior designer Vedika Khemka, who has to go back to work from Monday, is in a dilemma. “My babysitter left during the pandemic. After extensive searches through endless profiles, we selected two women for my children,” said the mother of a four-month-old and a three-year-old.
It will be strange to depend on housekeeping staff after two years of self-reliance, but Camac Street resident Kashmira Guha Neogi, who runs tutorials and partners her son’s business, is looking forward to the old normal. “Since I was working from home, teaching online, I could invest my time in chores. Now I need morning-to-evening help. It’s not easy to find one,” she said.
Salt Lake homemaker Megha Kedia said, “We can’t seem to find a good babysitter for my 14-month-old.”
Hiring of domestic helps had dropped significantly during the pandemic. And now the demand has picked up. Dipali Mondol of Deep Ayah Centre said, “We are back in business, flooded with requests from customers for 12-hour and 24-hour maids for housekeeping and babysitting.”
With increased demands, driver and caregiver centres have started overcharging, complained 65-year-old Animesh Chatterjee. “We are paying Rs 20,000 a month for the driver to take my granddaughter to school and Rs 17,000 for the 12-hour babysitter for my grandson,” the New Town resident said.
