Nannies are a hot commodity in Saskatoon, a fast-growing city with a young demographic.

While many parents say they would prefer to find spots for their children at licensed daycares, for some families juggling shift work and two careers say nannies are often the easiest option.

Teri Brigden and her husband will move to Saskatoon this spring but after finding jobs and a house, they had trouble locating daycare for their three-year-old daughter and infant son.

"Saskatoon being a smaller city, didn't think we would have an issue at all finding child care," she said. "Wow, were we wrong."

After months of searching, Brigden found a nanny.

She'll pay $1,850 a month for a nanny who will go home at night.

Recruiters say such live-out nannies are the hardest to find.

Demand for bringing in help from overseas has increased 50 per cent.

"It's a booming province, it's doing really well economically," said Manuela Gruber Hersch, who runs International Nannies & Homecare. "I assume a lot of moms are going back to work and they need childcare."

Nannies charge between $10 and $20 a hour.