pet sitter
Snapshot
Do you love animals and enjoy providing care and companionship? A career as a pet sitter offers a rewarding path, combining your passion with a flexible work environment. This role is primarily employee-based, offering stability and opportunities within established pet care businesses.
As a pet sitter, your days are filled with ensuring the wellbeing of animals while their owners are away. You’ll be responsible for providing attentive care, maintaining a safe and comfortable environment, and often interacting with clients to discuss their pet’s needs. This role requires a blend of practical animal handling skills, observational abilities, and excellent communication.
- • Dog walking and playtime, adapting to each animal’s energy levels and needs.
- • Administering food and water according to specific instructions, and monitoring for any changes in appetite or behavior.
- • Home-boarding or pet/home sitting, ensuring a secure and stimulating environment.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Personal service workers — 86 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Hungary.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could pet sitter fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Concern for Others?
Future Outlook for pet sitter
The outlook for pet sitter reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could pet sitter change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could pet sitter change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
Most tasks here are AI-assistable rather than purely human-led.
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- manage animal biosecurity
- monitor the welfare of animals
- control animal movement
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Agriculture
A typical day as a pet sitter
09 09:00 · Morning apply animal hygiene practices
10 10:30 · Mid-morning manage animal biosecurity
12 12:00 · Midday manage animal welfare
14 14:00 · Afternoon assist in transportation of animals
15 15:30 · Late afternoon control animal movement
17 17:00 · Wrap-up implement exercise activities for animals
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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animal behaviour
The natural behavioural patterns of animals, i.e. how normal and abnormal behaviour might be expressed according to species, environment, human-animal interaction and occupation.
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biosecurity related to animals
Awareness of hygiene and bio-security measures when working with animals, including causes, transmission and prevention of diseases and use of policies, materials and equipment.
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environmental enrichment for animals
Types, methods and use of enrichment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, including the provision of environmental stimuli, feeding activities, puzzles, items for manipulation, social and training activities.
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safe work practices in a veterinary setting
Safe work practices in a veterinary setting in order to identify hazards and associated risks so as to prevent accidents or incidents. This includes injury from animals, zoonotic diseases, chemicals, equipment and working environment.
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signs of animal illness
Physical, behavioural and environmental signs of health and ill health in various animals.
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anatomy of animals
The study of animal body parts, their structure and dynamic relationships, on a level as demanded by the specific occupation.
- animal welfare
- animal welfare legislation
- animal species
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provide an enriching environment for animals
Provide an enriching environment for animals to allow the expression of natural behaviour, and including adjusting environmental conditions, delivering feeding and puzzle exercises, and implementing manipulation, social, and training activities.'
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provide first aid to animals
Administer emergency treatment to prevent deterioration of the condition, suffering and pain until veterinary assistance can be sought. Basic emergency treatment needs to be done by non-veterinarians prior to first-aid provided by a veterinarian. Non-veterinarians providing emergency treatment are expected to seek treatment by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
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manage animal welfare
Plan, manage and evaluate the application of the five universally recognised animal welfare needs as appropriate to species, situation and own occupation.
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apply animal hygiene practices
Plan and use appropriate hygiene measures to prevent transmission of diseases and ensure an effective overall hygiene. Maintain and follow hygiene procedures and regulations when working with animals, communicate site hygiene controls and protocols to others. Manage the safe disposal of waste according to destination and local regulations.
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control animal movement
Direct, control or restrain some or part of an animal's, or a group of animals', movement.
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assist in transportation of animals
Assist with the transportation of animals, including the loading and unloading of animals, the preparation of the transport vehicle, and maintaining the wellbeing of the animal throughout the transport process.
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manage animal biosecurity
Plan and use appropriate biosafety measures to prevent transmission of diseases and ensure effective overall biosecurity. Maintain and follow biosecurity procedures and infection control when working with animals, including recognising potential health issues and taking appropriate action, communicating site hygiene control measures and biosecurity procedures, as well as reporting to others.
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monitor the welfare of animals
Monitor animals’ physical condition and behaviour and report any concerns or unexpected changes, including signs of health or ill-health, appearance, condition of the animals' accommodation, intake of food and water and environmental conditions.
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provide nutrition to animals
Provide food and water to animals. This includes preparing food and water for animals and reporting any changes in the animal feeding or drinking habits.'
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implement exercise activities for animals
Provide exercise opportunities that are suitable for respective animals and meet their particular physical requirements.'
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handle veterinary emergencies
Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does pet sitter fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of training or experience is helpful for becoming a pet sitter?
- While formal qualifications aren’t always required, experience handling animals, particularly dogs and cats, is highly beneficial. Courses in pet first aid and CPR are valuable assets, as is understanding of animal behavior. Many employers provide on-the-job training.
- What are the typical working hours for a pet sitter?
- Working hours can vary considerably depending on the employer and client needs. You might work early mornings, evenings, weekends, or even overnight, especially if providing home-boarding services. Flexibility is often required.
- How does this role align with my interest in animal welfare?
- This is a fantastic opportunity to directly contribute to the wellbeing of animals! You’ll be providing essential care and companionship, ensuring their comfort and safety while their owners are away. The role also involves observing animals closely and reporting any concerns, potentially aiding in their long-term health.
- Pet Sitter — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 7 of the 8 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Czechia, Germany, Denmark and 3 more. One country reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Pet Sitter — what does it pay in the United States?
- $33,470 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $26,970 to $44,210. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.