The worst job in the world for 2013
There’s a new contender for the worst job in the world. The jobs rating website, careercast.com has just released their annual report on the best and worst jobs to have. The bottom job for 2013 is quite different from those ranked worst in recent years.
Previously, the report estimated that the worst job in the world for 2012 was to be a lumberjack. The physical danger, relatively low pay and declining opportunities all made chopping down trees an undesirable job to have. This mirrors a recent report from Canadian Business on the declining fortunes of those working in the pulp and paper industry. In 2011, CareerCast ranked roustabout to be the worst job in the world.
This year, the worst job to have is much less physical. CareerCast has ranked being a newspaper reporter to be the worst job to have right now. Their rationale is that being a newspaper reporter is a high stress job, with limited opportunities and decreasing pay. They’re also expected to work at all hours of day or night and in all kinds of conditions in order to get the story.
“The pay left a lot to be desired, and the stress – oh boy! I have two kids, and I have to say that I couldn’t balance home and work and be happy due to the stress,” says newspaper reporter Rochelle Gilken, who spent six years as a crime reporter for the Palm Beach Post. “I had aspirations to get bigger and better newspaper jobs, but the opportunity to climb the ladder disappeared as newspapers cut back, which was very discouraging. I always wanted to travel to cover the big stories, like the Olympics, but the money to allow for that just wasn’t there and wasn’t coming back,” she told CareerCast.
(Online journalists, I’m pleased to note fared slightly better for having increased job prospects.)
CareerCast ranked Actuary to be the best job to have this year. Actuaries analyze statistics to determine the likelihood of accidents, illness, and death, and the loss of property from crime and natural disasters. See Actuary jobs on Workopolis.
Every year, the Jobs Rated researchers rank 200 career paths from accountant to zoologist according to key criteria:
- Environment,
- Outlook,
- Stress
- and Physical Demands.
Earlier we covered Canada’s best jobs and worst jobs for 2013 as determined by outlook and salary changes. We also polled Workopolis users to find out how CareerCast’s criteria influence their career choices. Over 6,000 people responded, and more than half said that ‘working environment’ was the most important.
What affects Canadians’ career choices?
- Work environment – 54%
- Stress level – 20%
- Hiring outlook – 18%
- Physical demands – 8%
So most Canadians are looking for jobs that have an enjoyable working environment, low stress, and a robust hiring outlook. We’re also not afraid of putting in some hard physical work.
How about you? What was the worst job that you’ve ever had?
Source – CareerCast: The 10 worst jobs of 2013
