Dairy farming loses out to insurance in the job stakes

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

What do roustabouts, lumberjacks, ironworkers and dairy farmers have in common? They are the four least desirable of 200 occupations in the United States, according to an annual report prepared by CareerCast.com.

The job-finding company says the commonality for all four jobs is a less-than-ideal work environment, high physical demands, and an unimpressive income of around US$32,000 a year. On top of that, chances of finding a job in those fields are slim.

At the top of the desirable job list is that of an actuary, a specialist who calculates premium rates and risks for insurance companies. CareerCast.com argues that actuaries, often portrayed in the media as boring automatons spewing out numbers, benefit from a good work environment, non-existent physical demands, and stress levels much lower than those associated with physical jobs.

And the money is good – over $85,000 annually on average.

On top of that, the hiring outlook is billed as "very good." Guess American ruggedness is going by the wayside. BF