These are 2018’s most (and least) stressful jobs
You could have been forgiven for thinking, in the year 2018, the world's most difficult occupations would include such futuristic roles as "robot wrangler" and "drone cleaner".
But new research has shown the most stressful jobs are surprisingly traditional – with senior military personnel coming top.
The list, by US recruitment site CareerCast, also ranked firefighter, airline pilot and police officer among the most stressful roles.
Meanwhile, senior corporate executive came ninth, although with a salary of over $181,000 salary (£133,700), it was also by far the best-paid role on the list.
2018's most stressful occupations
|
|
Profession | Annual Median Salary | Growth Outlook | Stress Score |
| 1 | Enlisted Military Personnel | $26,054 | N/A | 72.47 |
| 2 | Firefighter | $48,030 | 7% | 72.43 |
| 3 | Airline Pilot | $105,270 | 4% | 61.07 |
| 4 | Police Officer | $61,600 | 7% | 51.97 |
| 5 | Event Coordinator | $47,350 | 10% | 51.15 |
| 6 | Reporter | $37,820 | -11% | 49.90 |
| 7 | Broadcaster | $56,680 | -1% | 49.83 |
| 8 | Public Relations Executive | $107,320 | 10% | 49.44 |
| 9 | Senior Corporate Executive | $181,210 | 8% | 48.71 |
| 10 | Taxi Driver | $24,300 | 5% | 48.11 |
At the other end of the scale, diagnostic medical sonographer was ranked the world's least stressful job, followed by hair stylist and audiologist.
However, Kyle Kensing, of CereerCast, pointed out that even sonographers encounter a certain amount of stress during their day-to-day lives.
"[The job] isn't merely conducting pregnancy ultrasounds. Their days may include the task of cancer screenings, which can add stress to the job." And that's without factoring in the NHS crisis…
The most stressful roles had several factors in common: while for some it was risk of death or injury and physical demands, for others it was strict deadlines and being forced to appear in the public eye.
2018's least stressful occupations
| Profession | Annual salary | Growth outlook | Stress score | |
| 1 | Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $64,280 | 17% | 5.11 |
| 2 | Hair Stylist | $24,300 | 10% | 6.61 |
| 3 | Audiologist | $75,980 | 20% | 7.22 |
| 4 | University Professor | $75,430 | 15% | 8.16 |
| 5 | Medical Records Technician | $38,040 | 13% | 8.54 |
| 6 | Compliance Officer | $66,540 | 5% | 8.78 |
| 7 | Jeweller | $38,200 | -3% | 9.05 |
| 8 | Pharmacy Technician | $30,920 | 12% | 9.14 |
| 9 | Operations Research Analyst | $79,200 | 27% | 9.17 |
| 10 | Medical Laboratory Technician | $50,930 | 12% | 10.00 |