Primus Partners Launches Report Mapping India’s Care Economy as a $300 Billion Growth and Jobs Opportunity by 2030

Report identifies care as a high-employment, low-capital sector capable of generating over 60 million jobs by 2030
Study maps 13 paid care personas across skill and formality levels, highlighting clear pathways for skilling and wage mobility
Calls for coordinated policy action to formalise care work and integrate it into India’s employment and social infrastructure

Mumbai, January 5, 2026: Primus Partners has launched a new report, The Care Economy Boom: A $300 Billion Opportunity Set to Generate Over 60 Million Care Jobs by 2030, positioning care services as one of India’s most under-recognized yet high-potential economic sectors. The report argues that rising demand for childcare, eldercare, disability support, rehabilitation, mental health, wellness, and long-term care is already reshaping India’s labour market, yet the sector remains largely outside formal economic planning.

The study estimates that India’s care economy currently employs around 36 million workers. With targeted investments in skilling, certification, formalisation, and demand creation, this workforce can expand beyond 60 million by 2030, creating a sector valued at $300 billion. Unlike capital-intensive industries, care services are labour-intensive, locally delivered, and resilient to automation, offering large-scale employment opportunities across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities, as well as peri-urban and rural regions.

A central contribution of the report is its mapping of 13 distinct paid care personas across a skill and formality quadrant, spanning entry-level roles such as domestic help, elder sitters, and beauty assistants; semi-skilled roles including childcare assistants, rehabilitation aides, senior living staff, and special needs caregivers; and skilled roles such as certified nursing assistants, counsellors, and palliative care workers. This framework highlights how much of India’s care workforce remains trapped in low-wage informality despite performing skilled, economically essential work, and demonstrates how structured skilling and certification pathways can enable progression, income stability, and the dignity of work.

Launching the report, Nilaya Varma, Group CEO, Primus Partners, said: “Care is now essential economic infrastructure, yet largely invisible in policy. By mapping 13 care personas, this report shows how formalisation can turn care into a major engine of jobs and growth”.

Emphasising the skilling and health systems dimension, Prof. Sanjay Zodpey, President, Public Health Foundation of India, said: “As care shifts from hospitals to homes, skilling and certifying the care workforce will be critical to both health outcomes and employment.”

Highlighting the gendered nature of care work, Dr Meenakshi Hembram, Additional Director (HQ) and Head of Office, DGHS, Government of NCT of Delhi, said: “Women form the backbone of India’s care economy, yet much of this work remains informal and unprotected. Formalisation, fair wages and access to social security are essential to recognising care work and building a more equitable care system.”

From a macroeconomic perspective, Prof. V. K. Malhotra, Chairman, Food Commission of Madhya Pradesh and former Member Secretary, Indian Council of Social Science Research, said: “The care economy is no longer a peripheral social issue; it is emerging as a significant source of employment and economic value. Formalising and upskilling caregivers can unlock productivity gains, improve service quality and create a sustainable growth pathway for the economy.”

Underscoring the growing health burden and demand for care, Dr Pramod K., Chief Executive, Alliance India, said: “India’s care workforce is central to managing long-term health needs, from chronic diseases to mental health and palliative care. Yet much of this workforce remains informal and invisible in economic planning. A structured care economy can improve health outcomes while creating dignified jobs.”

The report outlines the NURTURE framework, calling for mission-led governance, standardised skilling and certification, regulatory clarity, technology-enabled platforms, social protection for care workers, and demand creation through public systems and private enterprise participation. It notes that the Union Budget and upcoming policy cycles present a critical opportunity to reposition care from the margins of welfare to the centre of India’s employment and growth strategy.