[Site name]

Companion

Also called servant, caregiver, male servant

Companions perform housekeeping duties and meal preparation for the people they assist on their own premises such as elderly people or people with special needs or who suffer from an illness. They also provide entertainment activities such as playing cards or reading stories. They may do shopping activities as well as punctual transportation to doctor's appointments, etc.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects26 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Personal service workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €900 (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Personal service workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Personal service workersWill AI change it?Very littleLevel 1 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Companions and valets · ILO

What you'd do

Companions and valets · ILO
  • Providing companionship to employer by accompanying him/her to various places, reading, conversing and participating in activities such as sports
  • Assisting in entertaining visitors in employer's home
  • Keeping wardrobe and personal effects of the employer in good order
Keep companyAccompany peopleClean roomsRelate empatheticallyCommunicate with customers+ 10 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually under 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Personal Care Aides"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as personal service workers in the EU
10.21m10.63m10.46m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
3,074,000 replacing leavers 244,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Personal service workers26
All jobs29
Right now
4 of 27 countries report a shortage of companions and valets, 5 a surplus.
Companions and valets · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €900 a month (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among service and sales workers in the EU, women earn 3% less per hour than men. Service and sales workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of personal service workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 15%Vocational 46%General secondary 16%Basic schooling 23%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Very little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.22 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 3 tasks
Assisting in entertaining visitors in employer's home0.27
Keeping wardrobe and personal effects of the employer in good order0.22
Providing companionship to employer by accompanying him/her to various places, reading, conversing and participating in activities such as sports0.17

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for companions and valets. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).