“Actually, this is only one-tenth of our total recruitment needs. The market demand is enormous.” Just one hour into the job fair, Gao Jiaxu, founder of Shanghai Jiajianing Senior Care Service Co., Ltd., had already received nearly 40 resumes,Many job seekers were attracted by a new occupation on the display board: “Accompanied Medical Escort”, which requires full-process participation in escorting the elderly to medical appointments, with up to 500 vacancies.

On April 15, the 2026 Spring Senior Care Talent Job Fair was held at Xinzhuang Tianhui Plaza, attracting 41 elderly care institutions, professional senior care service organizations, and senior care technology companies to present a collective display, offering over 1,400 positions covering basic care, medical rehabilitation, medical escort, education and training, and other fields.

From the emergence of new positions like “Accompanied Medical Escort”

to the influx of young people,

this senior care job fair

what signals does it actually send?

Showing a trend of specialization and younger workforce

Long lines in front of “Senior Care Assistant” positions

“I’m a recent nursing graduate, and I came today to look at nursing assistant positions.” Zhang, a student, clutching a stack of corporate brochures, then shifted tone: “But some nursing assistant positions have age restrictions, so I’m still looking for a better fit.”

The reporter walked around and found thatmany institutions have posted “Senior Care Assistant” job openings.Shanghai No.1 Social Welfare Institute set the age limit at “under 50 years old”, and young people were already queuing up at the booth. However, a small number of “nursing assistant” positions remain oriented toward experienced caregivers; on the display board of Shanghai Xingchenjia Senior Care Service Co., Ltd., the age requirement for “nursing assistants” is “50 to 60 years old”.

“We consider that older nursing assistants are more skilled in their work and understand the needs of the elderly, making communication easier.” But the recruiter from Xingchenjia also mentioned that besides “nursing assistant”, the company will gradually release positions more popular among young people, such as “social worker, HR, and senior care consultant”.

Third session of Minhang senior care institution bathing assistant training

“Based on the training previously conducted at the base, current practitioners in related fields are relatively older,” said Xiong Xinxin, project director of the Shanghai (Minhang) Senior Care Service Capacity Building Base.As the senior care industry transforms from “labor-intensive” to “professional and technology-driven,” the released positions are also becoming “younger.” The base has cooperated with 13 Shanghai institutions that offer senior care-related majors.

In addition to attracting young people, the senior care industry also imposes higher requirements on practitioners’ professional competence and skill levels. The reporter noticed thatmany positions have already included “holding a medical care certificate” or “having a primary or above skill level certificate for senior care assistants” in their recruitment conditions.

“I think nursing assistants are no longer limited to life care but require more professional clinical knowledge. Future senior care should integrate medical and nursing care.” Xiao Ju from Shanghai Donghai Vocational and Technical College, majoring in clinical medicine, is looking for a “medically oriented” nursing assistant position.

Xiao Ju said that the school subdivides nursing majors into rehabilitation, senior care, and other directions, and adjusts courses accordingly. “For example, rehabilitation students learn to use rehabilitation aids.” These changes align with the current trend of nursing assistants shifting from “physical labor” to “professional roles.”

Emergence of new positions

Some companies offer 500 “Accompanied Medical Escort” positions

In addition to traditional positions like “Senior Care Assistant,” some companies have also introduced new roles such as Accompanied Medical Escort, Health and Senior Care Planner, and Rehabilitation Aids Rental Consultant.

In the latest “Shanghai Vocational Skills Improvement Subsidy Catalog (2026)” released by Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, “Elderly Medical Escort” has been included as a Category A subsidy project.“From registration and queuing, accompanying visits to post-care services and psychological support, the work of an escort begins and ends at the hospital.” In the view of Gao Jiaxu, founder of Jiajianing, the rise of “Accompanied Medical Escort” stems from two demands: it can shorten the elderly’s visit time through standardized processes, reduce the burden on their children, and also improve doctors’ consultation efficiency.

“Among the job seekers who came to consult, there were many young people, which is a good trend,” said Gao Jiaxu.The company launched the “Accompanied Medical Escort” position in 2025, with salaries generally higher than the 6,000 to 7,000 yuan of most “Senior Care Assistants.”As young people enter the escort industry, they can not only leverage their familiarity with hospital smart devices but also play the role of “temporary children,” bringing “emotional value” to the elderly.

Wheelchair pushed into the bathing vehicle; the elderly person gives a thumbs-up to the bathing assistant

“It can be said that senior care services are now shifting towards a full life cycle.” In addition to escort and bathing, Gao Jiaxu cited several examples: “Elderly Personal Memoir Service” records the elderly’s life stories; “Health Monitoring Service” monitors health status in real time and enables one-button emergency calls; “End-of-Life Service” provides hospice care, assists with cemetery and funeral choices, and accompanies the elderly in their final journey.

These services ultimately point to respect for the individual. Gao Jiaxu specifically mentioned the “Search for Loved Ones” service: “When an elderly person sits in a rocking chair reminiscing about the past, if there is someone they want to thank or a first love, as long as there is a lingering attachment, we can help find them.”

Call for professional talent

There are talent shortages in fields such as elderly care technology, education, and training

On the display board of Rongheng (Shanghai) Vocational Skills Training Co., Ltd., teacher positions in two directions—“Senior Care Major” and “Clinical Nursing Major”—were posted.“Whether it’s elderly care or hospital caregiving, the demand for vocational skills training is huge, but there is a shortage of corresponding teachers.”Liu Renju, head of Rongheng Vocational Skills Training, said that the company currently has 6 full-time teachers, mainly post-2000s with nursing professional backgrounds.

“This is a constantly updating industry; previous nursing focused more on basic daily needs, but now we need to learn more advanced nursing techniques and smart nursing equipment.” Liu said that before these post-2000s teachers start, they must not only master professional nursing knowledge but also work on the front line as caregivers to learn the latest care skills.

Teacher Pan from Rongheng Vocational Education is conducting online interviews

To expand recruitment coverage, the event also set up an online interview zone and live streaming job promotion, remotely connecting job seekers from Zhaotong, Yunnan, and other places for “cloud interviews.” Many of these young people undergoing “cloud interviews” are focusing on positions related to education, training, and elderly care technology.

“In addition to R&D talent in smart senior care and intelligent rehabilitation, what we lack most is sales talent to promote senior care technology products.” Xu Huizhen, marketing and sales representative of Shanghai Sanlianren Technology Co., Ltd., opened the corporate brochure, which lists products such as “lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton robots” and “lower limb walking rehabilitation training devices” as the main smart devices.

A briefing session including policy explanations and corporate roadshows

It is reported that to help job seekers better understand the development prospects of the senior care industry, this job fair also held a briefing session covering policy explanations, corporate roadshows, and other content, introducing the senior care service industry from multiple dimensions. On-site, there were also policy consultation desks and school-enterprise cooperation negotiation areas, providing comprehensive supporting services for job seekers and enterprises.

This job fair is a vivid practice of Minhang District using talent to empower solving elderly care problems, actively responding to population aging, strengthening livelihood security, and promoting high-quality development of the silver economy. Next, Minhang District will continue to deepen the full-chain service of attracting, cultivating, retaining, and utilizing elderly care service talents, deepen school-enterprise cooperation and industry-education integration, and promote the resonance between elderly care talent cultivation and industrial demand.

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