Young Chinese strike gold in caring for the silver-haired
Against the backdrop of the rising aging population, China is witnessing a giant and expanding old-age care market which has created job opportunities for younger generations.
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Transcript
00:00 In Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning province, door-to-door bath aid services have been burgeoning
00:07 in recent years. The simple act of taking a bath can pose challenges to the elderly
00:14 and dangers to disabled or semi-disabled elderly people, which has led to the rise of bath
00:21 aid services. Official data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics showed that
00:27 China's population aged 60 and above had reached 297 million by the end of 2023, accounting
00:34 for 21.1% of the country's total population. Against the backdrop of a rising aging population,
00:42 China is witnessing a giant and expanding old-age care market, which has created job
00:49 opportunities for younger generations. According to the China Civil Affairs Statistical Yearbook
00:55 2019-2022, the number of employees in old-age care facilities below the age of 35 has seen
01:02 an increase. In addition to taking on the role of professional caretakers, young people
01:09 are also bringing vigor to the day-to-day life of the elderly.
01:14 In an old-age service center in Liaoning's Yinkou City, over 100 staff members, with
01:19 this majority being youngsters in their 20s and 30s, spent the Spring Festival holiday
01:25 offering company to nearly 400 senior residents in the center. The tech-savvy young staffers
01:32 introduced the elderly residents to the charm of short videos, recording their lives and
01:38 sharing the videos on social media platforms. Additionally, Yinkou City has also established
01:44 an online elderly care information platform, integrating with all 164 elderly care institutions
01:51 across the city and providing customized elderly assistance services. The platform is set up
01:58 and run by a group of youngsters whose average age is around 30.
02:03 China has recently released a guideline to strengthen the civil economy, which incorporates
02:08 economic activities that cater to senior citizens with tailored products and services. This
02:15 also helps to prepare the country for the challenges of an aging population.
02:20 [music]
02:25 [silence]