What’s the most common job in San Francisco? You might think it would be a software developer, line cook or nurse.
But you’d be wrong. The metro area’s most prevalent job is actually “home health and personal care aides,” a key role in the modern economy that often flies under the radar. More than 109,000 people work as home health and personal care aides in the S.F. metro, comprising nearly 5% of the workforce, far more than the 2.6% they represent nationally. Only 77,000 people are employed as software developers — a not-so-close second.
These aides provide elder care and assistance in nursing homes, as well as support for people with long-term disabilities — an essential role for a region that is rapidly aging…