Is your profession on the latest list of most and least stressful jobs?

Think you have a stressful job?

Do you commonly face risk of death or injury, physical demands, and other hazards every single day? If not, maybe it’s time to reconsider your definition of workplace stress.

According to an international jobs board, firefighters, airline pilots and police officers are among the most stressful professions of 2018. Enlisted military personnel also make the list, but since the survey is primarily US based, this might not be true in the South African context.

Many high stress jobs involve compounding risk factors, such as dealing with the public and tight deadlines in the case of reporters, or being in constant high-risk environments such as airline pilots.

On the other hand, low-stress jobs are typically out of the public eye, have a low risk of bodily harm and don’t involve much travel or many workplace hazards.

Among those who enjoy the least stressful jobs are diagnostic medical sonographers, hair stylists, audiologists, and university professors.

These 11 stress factors where surveyed: travel required; growth potential; deadlines; working in the public eye; competition in the field; physical demands; environmental conditions; hazards encountered on a regular basis; own life at risk; life of others at risk; and meeting or interacting with the public at large.

Is your profession on the list?