Construction Worker Rated the 8th Worst Job

The headline read “Construction Worker Rated the 8^th Worst Job.”  Being a Builder who started out as construction worker, I just had to investigate further.  Here is what I found.

The headline referred to JobsRated.com’s 2010 Jobs Rated report which the website says “offers a comprehensive analysis of 200 different jobs giving each a unique ranking based on factual analysis and hard data, not guesswork.”

The report compares and contrasts careers across a multitude of industries, skill levels and salary ranges using five key measurement criteria – stress, working environment, physical demands, income and hiring outlook – and sorting them into a definitive list of jobs that can be called “worst” and “best.”  Jobs receive a score in each individual category, and when these are added together, the career with the best overall score is ranked 1st, while the one with the worst overall score is ranked 200th.  They noted that, in compiling the list of highly-ranked jobs for 2010,  researchers sought to find careers that are likely to provide a positive experience for a majority of employees, not just the uniquely talented. The top careers in the report “are the jobs that offer the greatest chance of enjoying a combination of good health, low stress, a pleasant workplace, solid income and strong growth potential.”

Of the 200 different jobs, 22 or 11% were construction related careers.  Here is how they ranked.

Rank	Job
33	Civil Engineer
48	Architectural Drafter
71	Mechanical Engineer
86	Architect
110	Construction Foreman
119	HVAC Mechanic
120	Surveyor
141	Glazer
145	Realtor
150	Plumber
153	Electrician
159	Painter
164	Drywall Installer / Finisher
167	Construction Equipment Operator
169	Carpet/Tile Installer
170	Plasterer
171	Carpenter
173	Bricklayer
179	Roofer
187	Sheetmetal Worker
193	Construction Laborer
198	Ironworker

 For the Construction Laborer job which was the topic of the headline, the article listed both the Pros: Good income potential with overtime, opportunity to become an independent contractor and start your own business; and the Cons: Extreme, physically demanding labor in all weather conditions, risk of injury or death, poor hiring outlook in a struggling economy, seasonal layoffs.

In fact, it appeared that the poor hiring outlook was a big factor in most of the construction-related jobs.  Understandable considering that unemployment in the construction industry is currently 23.7%.  But regardless of the current outlook, I believe it is important to note that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, as the economy recovers and construction returns to normal levels, there will be a need for an additional 1.1 million construction trades people.  This figure does not include construction management positions.

What I found interesting were the rankings of some of the non-construction related careers.  Teacher ranked 116. Physician ranked 128.  Commercial Airline Pilot ranked 129.  Senior Corporate Executive ranked 133.  Surgeon ranked 136.

So what was the Top Rated Job? Actuary – someone who interprets statistics to determine probabilities of accidents, sickness, and death, and loss of property from theft and natural disasters.

I think I’ll stick with construction.

Chuck Miller _{GMB   CGP  CGB   MIRM   CMP   MCSP   CSP}

President / Builder – Chuck Miller Construction Inc.

(208) 229-2553