Labor Market Conditions for Health and Elderly Care Workers in the People’s Republic of China
Abstract
This paper examines the labor market conditions in the health and social work industry in the People’sRepublic of China (PRC). The analysis indicates that while population aging and increased chronic
disease burdens have greatly expanded the demand for health and elderly care services, the growth
in employment in the health and social work industry has lagged behind other sectors. This limits the
supply of high-quality health and elderly care services for the growing population with care needs.
To understand the causes of this shortage of health and elderly care workers, the paper explores the
labor market conditions in the sector. The analysis reveals that women constitute most of the health
care workforce in the PRC, and the elderly care workforce is predominately composed of older migrant
women with a junior high school education or lower. Data further indicate that the working conditions
of health and elderly care workers could improve. Majority of the medical staff surveyed for this study
were dissatisfied with their compensation, a third intended to leave their occupation, and a quarter
had encountered verbal or physical abuse from patients over the past 6 months. Wages for elderly
care workers were also low and most of the elderly care institutions had difficulty generating sufficient
revenue to cover operational costs. These results point to the need for a comprehensive strategy for care
provision that aims to provide decent jobs for care workers while making quality care services accessible
for all persons with care needs.