AS part of the city’s plan to attract more people into the elderly care industry, qualified carers in Hongkou District can now apply for up to 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) in government assistance.

Hongkou has become the first district to cash in on city government incentives to attract workers to what is a largely unpopular career.

Demand for elderly care in the district is high — about 30 percent of residents are elderly, one of the highest proportions in the downtown area, a local official told Shanghai Daily yesterday.