The best and worst jobs you can have in 2016, according to experts

Finding - and keeping - a good line of work is a full-time job in itself.

And while every job is work, it seems some jobs are more work than others. The 28th official annual study from CareerCast.com has definitively ranked this year's best and worst careers in order of attractiveness. The methodology of the study examined several factors effecting each line of work, from environment to income, and future prospects to outlook. It also took into account 11 different "stress factors":  travel, growth potential, deadlines, working in the public-eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk, and meeting the public (which many people would classify in its own stress bracket entirely!) Professions in mathematics and the hard sciences appear to lead to the happiest life outcomes overall, with scientists appearing five times in the past decade. Meanwhile, news reporter has topped the worst job list for three years in a row now (HELP US, SEND FOOD!), with broadcaster trailing just behind. Regular journalist also appears in the top 20 worst jobs.

via CareerCast.com

The experts who analysed the results suggest the poor showing for media work is due to rampant "instability" in the industry in general, contributing to the "shrinking" of many media outlets. Former broadcaster Ann Baldwin, president of Baldwin Media PR in New Britain, Connecticut, released a comment to coincide with the study:

“The news business has changed drastically over the years, and not in a good way. When people ask me if I miss it, I tell them, ‘I feel as if I jumped off of a sinking ship'.”

Altogether, the best and worst jobs of 2016 are as follows...

The Worst

1. Newspaper 2. Logger 3. Broadcaster 4. DJ 5. Enlisted Military Personnel 6. Pest Control Worker 7. Retail Sales Person 8. Advertising Sales Person 9. Taxi Driver 10. Firefighter

The Best

1. Data Scientist 2. Statistician 3. Information Security Analyst 4. Audiologist 5. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer 6. Mathematician 7. Software Engineer 8. Computer Systems Analyst 9. Speech Pathologist 10. Actuary

You can view the full report, and even participate in the study, here.

  Got a nightmare job description you want to share with us? Let us know at Hello@JOE.co.uk! But remember, we work in media, so sympathy is limited.