According to new research from WorkWear Giant, these are the most stressful jobs. The clothing supplier analysed how many people were likely to report workplace stress per 100,000 people in that professional occupation, before looking at the earnings and unpaid overtime in those sectors.
They then created a stress score out of 15 for each occupation - the lower the wage, the higher the score out of five. The more overtime, the higher the score out of five. The more cases of work related stress, the higher the score out of five. These three scores are then added together to give a total out of 15, to work out the most stressful jobs.
The most stressful jobs are:
1.Customer Service
- Earnings – £20,735 annually = 2/5
- Stress – 2,770 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 3/5
- Unpaid overtime – 0 hours a week = 5/5
- Total Score = 10/15
2.Legal Professionals
- Earnings – £69,992 annually = 5/5
- Stress – 3,040 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 2/5
- Unpaid overtime – 9.6 hours a week = 2/5
- Total Score = 8/15
3. Housing Association Professionals
Everyone's clicking on...
- Earnings – £24,012 annually = 3/5
- Stress – 3,050 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 2/5
- Unpaid overtime – 8.6 hours a week = 2/5
- Total Score = 7/15
4. Welfare professionals
- Earnings – £34,200 annually = 4/5
- Stress – 4,080 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 1/5
- Unpaid overtime – 8.6 hours a week = 2/5
- Total Score = 7/15
5. Teaching & Education Professionals
- Earnings – £25,692 p/a = 3/5
- Stress – 3,020 reported cases of stress per 100,000 people = 2/5
- Unpaid overtime – 12.5 hours a week = 1/5
- Total Score = 6/15
For context, the research says the national average salary is £24,000, the average number of house of unpaid overtime is 7.5 a week, and the average number of cases of workplace stress is 1,320 pr 100,000.
As for the least stressful occupations?
1.Skilled Tradesmen
- Earnings – £27,279 annually = 3/5
- Stress – 600 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 5/5
- Unpaid overtime – 0 hours a week = 5/5
- Total Score = 13/1
2. Process, Plant & Machine Operatives
- Earnings – £25,480 annually = 3/5
- Stress – 630 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 5/5
- Unpaid overtime – 0 hours a week = 5/5
- Total Score = 13/15
3. Cleaners & Labourers (Elementary)
- Earnings – £20,030 anually = 2/5
- Stress – 780 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 5/5
- Unpaid overtime – 0 hours a week = 5/5
- Total Score = 12/15
4. Admin & Secretarial Occupations
- Earnings – £23,207 annually =2/5
- Stress – 1,310 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 4/5
- Unpaid overtime – 0 hours a week = 5/5
- Total Score = 11/15
5. Managers, Directors & Senior Officials
- Earnings – £43,425 anually = 5/5
- Stress – 1,200 cases of stress per 100,000 people = 4/5
- Unpaid overtime – 9.2 hours a week = 1/5
- Total Score = 10/15
The perfect recipe for a stress-free job seems to be a high salary, and no overtime. Easy, right?
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
