Personal Care Aides
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. Work is performed in various settings depending on the needs of the care recipient and may include locations such as their home, place of work, out in the community, or at a daytime nonresidential facility.
Personal Care Aides provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). The role shows low AI exposure (0.33 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £27,468 a year for Care workers and home carers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £22,798 to £32,493 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 6135). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure for this career: it falls in more than one occupation group, and the Government of India's labour survey (PLFS) publishes pay only by occupation group.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
- Food Production
- Therapy and Counseling
What you'd actually do
- Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
- Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
- Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
- Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
- Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
- Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Personal Care Aides do?
Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry.
What skills does Personal Care Aides need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Coordination. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Personal Care Aides?
Our AI-durability model gives Personal Care Aides a score of 0.33 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Personal Care Aides has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.