“Jobs in mathematics rank among the nation's best because they are financially lucrative, offer abundant opportunities for advancement and provide the opportunity to do great work in a supportive environment,” says Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com.
Information technology and healthcare jobs were also
highly ranked, evidenced by the favorable growth outlook and high salaries for audiologist, biomedical engineer, dental hygienist, software engineer, occupational therapist and computer systems analyst.
Newspaper reporter, which displaced lumberjack as the worst job of 2015, has a negative growth outlook of -13.33% and an average annual salary of $36,267. Broadcaster and photojournalist, with mid-level annual salaries of less than $30,000, also ranked at the bottom of the list. However, those with good writing skills often can find new employment in public relations, marketing, advertising and social media, where the outlook may be brighter.
Many of the worst jobs involve danger and a murky job market, such as soldiers, firefighters, taxi drivers (who must compete with new rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft) and lumberjacks.
“Although you might not be suited for the rigors of firefighting, serving in the military or working in the logging industry, some thrive in these dangerous and risky careers,” notes Lee.
Mail carrier, which dropped into the ten worst jobs for the first time this year, has a negative growth outlook of -28.32, in part due to recent declines in total mail volume and cost-cutting measures at the U.S. Postal Service. Enlisted military personnel and firefighter remain on the worst jobs list for the third year in a row.
1. Actuary (+3)2. Audiologist (+3)3. Mathematician (-2)4. Statistician (-1)5. Biomedical Engineer (+7)6. Data Scientist (N/A)7. Dental Hygienist (-1)8. Software Engineer (-1)9. Occupational Therapist (no change)10. Computer Systems Analyst (-2)| Best Jobs of 2015 vs. How They Fared in 2014 | Midlevel Income | ||
| $94,209 | $71,133 | ||
| $102,182 | |||
| $79,191 | |||
| $89,165 | |||
| $124,149 | |||
| $71,102 | |||
| $93,113 | |||
| $77,114 | |||
| $81,150 |
| Midlevel Income | |
CareerCast.com’s Jobs Rated Report has been published for more than 20 years. The report utilizes a wide range of criteria such as income, outlook, environmental factors, stress and physical demands to rank 200 U.S. jobs annually. Each year the 200 professions included in the report are evaluated for relevance in today’s workforce. Outdated titles are eliminated and new relevant jobs added, such as sustainability manager, data scientist and social media manager. To see the full rankings of all 200 jobs and the report’s methodology, go to http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/best-jobs-2015. About CareerCast.com
CareerCast.com, created by Adicio, is a job search portal that offers extensive local, niche and national job listings from across North America; job-hunting, career-management and HR-focused editorial content; and videos and blogs; and provides recruiters with the ability to post jobs directly to more than 800 niche career sites. CareerCast.com also compiles the Jobs Rated Report (www.jobsrated.com), where 200 jobs across North America are ranked based on detailed analysis of specific careers factors.