Survey on Senior Caregivers: 90% Who Started Over Age 50 Call It a 'Suitable Job,' with 70% Overcoming Initial Anxiety

Nichii Gakkan Co., Ltd., a provider of medical, caregiving, and childcare services across Japan, has conducted the "Survey on Senior Caregivers" among its staff to deepen understanding and convey the appeal of caregiving work.

The caregiving profession allows individuals to start regardless of age and offers flexible working styles, leading to an increasing number of middle-senior and senior individuals choosing it as a second career. Within our company, about 30% of the survey respondents started their first caregiving job at age 50 or older.

This survey explored the motivations, initial anxieties, and utilized experiences of staff who began caregiving at 50 or older, while also gathering perspectives from younger and middle-aged colleagues. The results highlighted a portrait of a senior generation that is actively working beyond age barriers and earning deep trust from the next generation.

**Survey Overview**
- Survey Name: "Survey on Senior Caregivers"
- Method: Internal online survey
- Period: March 10 - March 23, 2026
- Respondents: 11,418 caregivers working at Nichii

**Key Points**
- **Previous Job**: For those who started over 50, the most common previous job was "customer-facing/service work" (30%).
- **Reason for Choosing**: The top reason was "can get a job and work regardless of age" (approx. 40%).
- **Anxiety Shift**: While about 90% "had anxiety" at the start, about 70% of them later resolved it.
- **Utilized Experience**: Skills related to communication were most frequently cited.
- **Colleague's View**: 60% of colleagues responded they "don't particularly mind the age." 50% valued their "sense of stability from life experience."
- **Suitability**: About 90% of those who started over 50 agreed that caregiving is a "suitable job for seniors to start."
- **Work Longevity**: For those who started over 50, the most desired retirement age was "until my 70s" (40%).

**Detailed Survey Results**

**Q1. Starting Age for Caregiving Work**
The largest group was "40s" (over 30%), followed by "50s" (over 20%). About 70% started in their 10s-40s, and 30% started at 50 or older.

**Q2. Current Employment Status**
The proportion of full-time employees is about 30% for those who started in their 10s-40s, but only about 10% for those who started at 50 or older. Many who started in their 50s transitioned from full-time previous jobs to part-time, indicating a preference for flexible work.

**Q4. Job Before Caregiving**
Regardless of starting age, "customer-facing/service work" was number one. For the 50+ group, "desk work" was second, showing a trend of career changes from office jobs.

**Q5. Reason for Choosing Caregiving (For 50+ group)**
The top reason was "can get a job and work regardless of age" (approx. 40%), followed by "experienced family caregiving" and "to prepare for the future."

**Q6-Q8. Initial Anxiety and Its Change (For 50+ group)**
Initially, about 90% felt anxious. Key concerns were "handling emergencies or troubles" (52.4%) and "lack of specialized knowledge/experience" (48.8%). However, about 70% later responded that their "anxiety is gone" or "anxiety has lessened," showing that most overcome these initial fears.