Minnesota Needs 11,750 Senior Care Workers — More Roles Than You’d Think

Minnesota has roughly 11,750 open positions in senior care right now, according to a 2026 survey from The Long-Term Care Imperative — many of them entry-level jobs in food service, housekeeping, and activities that require no prior experience and come with paid, on-the-job training.

A website called CaringCareersStartHere.com was built to help Minnesotans explore all the different ways to fill that need and connect directly with employers hiring across the state.

Most of those openings are for CNAs, nurses, and other direct caregiving roles — which is exactly why, when people picture a career in senior care, they usually picture one thing: nursing.

But walk into any senior care community in Minnesota, and you’ll see a much bigger picture. Kitchens preparing meals for residents with specific dietary needs. Activity staff planning events that bring people together. Maintenance and housekeeping teams keeping buildings safe and comfortable. Social services staff helping residents and families through major life transitions.

Those vacancy numbers reflect the field’s biggest need, but they don’t reflect the full range of work happening inside these communities every day.

Nursing is one path into this field. It’s far from the only one — and many of the roles beside it offer paid training or on-the-job learning, meaning it’s possible to start a career here without a four-year degree.

Six paths, one workforce

Senior care careers generally fall into six broad paths:

• Direct care and nursing. From resident assistants to registered nurses, this path includes hands-on caregiving roles and clinical positions with room to advance.
• Culinary and hospitality. Cooks, servers, and dietary aides help residents enjoy meals that support their health and bring people together.
• Housekeeping and maintenance. These teams keep communities clean, safe, and running smoothly, often with flexible, non-traditional schedules.
• Social services and life enrichment. Activities staff and social workers help residents stay socially connected and supported through life’s transitions.
• Therapy and rehabilitation. Physical, occupational, and speech therapists help residents recover and maintain independence after illness or injury.
• Administration and operations. HR, finance, IT, marketing, and leadership professionals keep communities running — skills that transfer directly from other industries.

Many of these roles require no prior experience or degree to start. Others build on skills workers already have from entirely different lines of work.

Skills you may already have

People who succeed in senior care often bring skills from many different backgrounds — retail, hospitality, childcare, food service, and customer service. Some of the most valuable skills include communication and listening, patience and empathy, cultural understanding, teamwork and reliability, and problem solving.

For multilingual Minnesotans and immigrants, language skills and cultural connections can also help older adults feel understood and supported — and can make a candidate especially valuable to employers.

Where to start

Job seekers can begin exploring at CaringCareersStartHere.com in three simple steps:

1. Browse the six career paths. See which roles match your background and interests, from entry-level to advanced.
2. Learn about training pathways. Many employers offer paid training, certification support, or tuition assistance to help workers build skills and advance.
3. Find employers hiring near you. Senior care communities across Minnesota are actively hiring people who want meaningful work, whatever their background.

Work that makes a difference every day

Whether someone is cooking a meal, planning an event, keeping a building running, or providing direct care, the work adds up to the same thing: older adults who are supported, cared for, and never forgotten.

Minnesota’s older adults helped build the communities we live in today. Filling those 11,750 openings — and the many more roles surrounding them — will take workers from every kind of background.

For job seekers looking for meaningful work, senior care may offer more possibilities than they realize.

Learn more and explore careers at CaringCareersStartHere.com.