Personal Care Services Workers

How to become a Childcare Worker

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 保育师

Also called: Nursery Practitioner

Looks after the daily life and safety of babies and young children in childcare centres, kindergartens, communities and welfare institutions, handles feeding and nutrition, and supports their early development.

Main tasks

Watching each child's growth, development and differences and taking steps to support them
Planning and managing the daily routine and looking after children's meals, sleep, hygiene, activity and safety
Managing indoor and outdoor items and cleaning and disinfecting them to keep the setting healthy
Doing morning, midday and evening health checks, noticing changes in mood and health, spotting and reporting common illnesses and giving first aid for common accidents
Talking with parents, guardians and teachers and helping children take part in suitable learning, play and sport
Drawing up care plans, building self care skills and good habits and caring for children's physical and mental health

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Infant and Toddler Childcare Services and Management (520802). Vocational major 520802 Infant and Toddler Childcare Services and Management (婴幼儿托育服务与管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Early Childhood Care; Maternal and Infant Care.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Infant and Toddler Childcare (720803). Vocational major 720803 Infant and Toddler Childcare (婴幼儿托育), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Early Childhood Care.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Infant and Toddler Development and Health Management (320802). Vocational major 320802 Infant and Toddler Development and Health Management (婴幼儿发展与健康管理), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Early Childhood Care.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥49,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥36,000 to CN¥65,000. One in ten earn less than CN¥28,500 and one in ten more than CN¥89,500.
This is the figure for the mid group Residential Services Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥50,743 a year (2025), middle half CN¥44,900 to CN¥70,200.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Residential Services Workers holds 1.98% of everyone employed in China; 69.4% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
38% are under 35, 48.2% are 35 to 54 and 13.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 40 to 44.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Childcare Worker?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Infant and Toddler Childcare Services and Management (520802); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Infant and Toddler Childcare (720803).

How much does a Childcare Worker earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥49,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Residential Services Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥50,743 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Childcare Worker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026