China will hold the national finals of its second civil affairs skills competition in late October as part of a biennial effort to raise the profile of vocational workers in sectors ranging from elderly care to funeral services.

The competition, scheduled for Zhengzhou in Henan province, will feature four categories — elderly care workers, orphaned children's carers, funeral service workers and embalmers, a representative from the Ministry of Civil Affairs told a news conference on Wednesday.

The upcoming contest will differ from the inaugural competition held in 2024 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, which had five categories, including cremation workers and prosthesis fitters. That first event drew contestants from across the country and was seen largely as a test run for what organizers now plan as a biennial fixture to raise the profile of civil affairs vocations.

The competition has two main stages. Provincial-level qualifiers — including contests at the municipal and county levels — must be completed by the end of August, the ministry said. Each provincial region will then select its top performers for the national finals.

Each province can enter up to four contestants for the elderly care category — double the quota from the 2024 competition and also more than the two contestants allowed per province for each of the other three categories, said Li Yongxin, a ministry official. The disparity reflects fast-growing demand for skilled caregivers as China's population ages.

The biennial competition has been organized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

Winners in each category can be recommended for the National May Day Labor Medal, one of China's top labor honors. The top 20 finishers will receive official skill-level upgrades.

Officials said the competition will use emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual simulation tools in the assessment process to enhance fairness and reduce human bias in scoring.