A lot of jobs can be considered challenging, whether it’s from manual labor or stressful deadlines, but what’s the hardest one of all? A new survey has the answer after asking Americans what they think the “toughest” jobs in the U.S. are. And people think the toughest one of all is a job where people risk their lives to help others every single day - firefighter.
According to the poll of 2-thousand (including 1,000 trade workers):
- Overall, 40% of people believe their job is hard, but 20% take it further, saying you have to be “extremely tough” to do their job.
- Trade workers are more than twice as likely to say their job is difficult (51% versus 21%).
- Four in five (81%) Americans don’t think trade workers get enough credit for the work they do.
- Nearly three quarters (72%) believe that trade workers are, on average, tougher than non-trade workers.
- About half (49%) of non-trade workers would be open to a career in trade work, while 70% of those who’ve done trade work in the past would do it again.
- Almost nine in 10 (88%) would encourage younger people to consider a career in a trade job.
- What makes a job challenging varies from profession to profession, but includes “solving other people’s problems all day with little to no help,” “constantly making quick decisions and being stuck in stressful situations daily,” and “something that pushes physical and mental limits.”
The 10 Toughest Jobs In America
- Firefighter — 48%
- Construction worker — 44%
- Military — 38%
- Doctor — 38%
- Police officer — 37%
- EMT or paramedic — 35%
- Astronaut — 32%
- Farmer — 29%
- Air traffic controller — 29%
- Oil worker — 25%
Source: Talker
photo: GETTY
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