Ayi IDs issued in bid to regulate sector

Shanghai authorities issued identification passes for 45,000 ayi, or domestic helpers, by the end of last month as part of efforts to regulate the sector, the Shanghai Commission of Commerce said today.

A total of 93 domestic helper agencies participated in the program and more than 740 training sessions were held on the new system, the commission said.

The non-compulsory identification passes allow employers to check the real name and agency of an ayi, and the information is then verified by the public security system.

Potential employers are encouraged to check an ayi’s identification pass by calling 962521, scanning the QR code through WeChat, or visiting the website of www.962512.com.

Employers can then rate the ayi after each completed service.

The commission said it will spend three to five years expanding coverage of the ayi ID system as an effort to clean up the market in Shanghai, although ayi are not obligated to sign up to the program.