SHANGHAI has a shortfall of nearly 200,000 ayi, according to the Cloud Housekeeping booking platform for household services.

There are more than 2,000 housekeeping service companies registered in the city, with nearly 600,000 domestic helpers on their books, said the company in its survey.

But this is still 200,000 too few ayi, and the situation is worse during the Spring Festival, as many are migrant workers and return to their home towns for the extended holiday.