USA: The Nation’s Worst Jobs
Software Engineer,Actuary and HR Manager Are Top 3 Jobs in the Nation – Newspaper Reporter and Broadcaster Among Nation’s Worst Jobs, Says CareerCast.com’s 2012 Jobs Rated Report
Professions that provide us with our news – Newspaper Reporter and Broadcaster – ranked among the worst jobs in the nation, according to the new 2012 CareerCast.com Jobs Rated Report. Lumberjacks, who work on the hottest and coldest days in a highly dangerous occupation with a low salary and a history of high unemployment, were rated as having the worst job in the nation.
„Many jobs in the media are characterized by high stress, short deadlines, long hours and a poor hiring outlook,“ explains Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com’s 2012 Jobs Rated Report. „Despite these poor working conditions, competition is steep for what jobs remain after massive consolidation and layoffs in the media industry.“
On the other end of the spectrum, Software Engineer remains the nation’s best job for the second year in a row. Employment of computer software engineers is expected to rise by 30% in the next eight years, which is much faster than the average for any other occupation. Rounding out the top five rated jobs are Actuary, Human Resources Manager, Dental Hygienist and Financial Planner.
„The top-rated jobs have few physical demands, minimal stress, a good working environment and a strong hiring outlook,“ says Mr. Lee. „Conversely, Lumberjacks and Dairy Farmers, two of the worst jobs in the nation, work in physically demanding, precarious, low-paying professions with a weak hiring outlook.“
Three of the worst-rated jobs are in the food industry – Waiter/Waitress, Dishwasher and Butcher. In addition to Lumberjack, Dairy Farmers, Newspaper Reporters, and Broadcasters, other jobs in the bottom 10 of the 2012 CareerCast.com Jobs Rated Report include Enlisted Military Personnel, Oil Rig Worker and Meter Reader.
A college education continues to be important criteria for career happiness, as nearly all of the top-rated jobs require a degree or advanced training. Many of the worst jobs do not even require a high school diploma.
„While it’s true that some people are happy washing dishes, waiting tables or slicing meat as a career, job seekers who want to compete for the nations best jobs need to gain a competitive edge by expanding their knowledge and skill set with a college education,“ says Mr. Lee.
CareerCast.com’s Jobs Rated Report utilizes a wide range of criteria, such as income, outlook, environmental factors, stress and physical demands to rank 200 U.S. jobs annually.Each year the 200 professions included in the report are evaluated for relevance in today’s workforce, and outdated job titles are eliminated, such as Bookbinder, Photographic Process Worker, Compositor/Typesetter, Telephone Operator, and Railroad Conductor.
To see the full rankings of all 200 jobs and the report’s methodology, go to http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated. .
Best Jobs in 2012 vs. How They Fared in 2011 Midlevel Income
| 1. | SoftwareEngineer (nochange) | $88,142 |
|---|---|---|
| 2. | Actuary (up1) | $88,202 |
| 3. | HumanResourcesManager (newjobfor2012) | $99,102 |
| 4. | DentalHygienist (up6) | $68,109 |
| 5. | FinancialPlanner (up10) | $104,161 |
| 6. | Audiologist (up3) | $67,137 |
| 7. | OccupationalTherapist (up10) | $72,110 |
| 8. | OnlineAdvertisingManager (newfor2012) | $87,255 |
| 9. | ComputerSystemsAnalyst (up4) | $78,148 |
| 10. | Mathematician (down7) | $99,191 |
Worst Jobs in 2012 and How They Fared in 2011 Midlevel Income
| 200. | Lumberjack (down2) | $32,114 |
|---|---|---|
| 199. | DairyFarmer (down15) | $33,119 |
| 198. | EnlistedMilitaryPersonnel (newjobfor2012) | $36,261 |
| 197. | OilRigWorker (up3) | $32,132 |
| 196. | NewspaperReporter (down8) | $35,275 |
| 195. | Waiter/Waitress (down56) | $18,088 |
| 194. | MeterReader (down2) | $35,171 |
| 193. | Dishwasher (down26) | $18,044 |
| 192. | Butcher (down10) | $29,156 |
| 191. | Broadcaster (down63) | $27,324 |
About CareerCast.com
CareerCast.com, created by Adicio, is a job search portal that offers extensive local, niche and national job listings from across North America; job-hunting, career-management and HR-focused editorial content; and videos and blogs; and provides recruiters with the ability to post jobs directly to more than 800 niche career sites. CareerCast.com also compiles the Jobs Rated Report (www.jobsrated.com), where 200 jobs across North America are ranked based on detailed analysis of specific careers factors.
