What is Canada's least stressful job?
If you asked a random sample of Canadians what the least stressful job in the country is, you’d get no answer.
Why? Because everyone thinks their job is the most stressful. It’s like a Canadian rite of passage – why have a job unless you can complain about it? (Same goes for going to school, or getting married.)
In any case, we spend so much time wondering what the most stressful job is, why not pose a question to the contrary here: what is the least stressful job in Canada?
Certainly, this wouldn’t be an exact science. Why would your job be more stressful than mine? And isn’t stress relative? What if Joe is able to compartmentalize his work as a police officer better than Betsy, an advertising executive?
Still, there are people that have tried.
PayScale.com recently commissioned a survey of a field of positions, wondering what percentage of workers suggest the job is low stress.
Their top 10:
1) Biomedical Engineer (70 per cent say it’s low stress)
2) Transportation Engineer (69 per cent)
3) Statistician (64 per cent)
4) Web Developer (58 per cent)
5) Geographic Information Systems Analyst (55.6 per cent)
6) Technical Writer (55 per cent)
7) Test Software Development Engineer (54 per cent)
8) Marketing Consultant (53.5 per cent)
9) Civil Engineer (53.3 per cent)
10) Optometrist (53.1 per cent)
You’ll notice that the word “engineer” seems to pop up a lot on that list, for reasons we’re not quite sure of. What do you make of this list? What would you add? What would you take away?
What do you think is Canada’s least stressful job?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Steve Butabi | Dec 3, 2021 6:38:03 PM
Canada's least stressful job?
Internet blog writer.
Posted by: AKA Lisa | Dec 5, 2021 8:32:38 PM
The "most" stressful is Domestic Engineer.
Posted by: Annie | Dec 6, 2021 12:45:38 AM
Least stressful? Gotta be federal public servant.
Posted by: Bob | Dec 6, 2021 9:41:51 AM
I have always been of the mind that the lower you are paid the worse you are treated (which seems counter intuitive to me) and so the more stress you are put under. If that is true, then I think minimum wage jobs are probably the most stressful.
You would think that if someone is willing to get out of bed every morning and work for you for a subsistence wage so that you can live a good life then you would be eternally grateful to that person.
I guess however, that education is the real key here.
The list above seems to kind of support my theory.
Posted by: Tracy | Dec 6, 2021 10:08:30 AM
These jobs/careers appear to work mainly with technology or science and have minimum contact with humans.Just an observation. I always say that before you treat a minimum wage customer service rep like an uneducated piece of garbage remember that person may have a degree, is working towards one or just can't find a job thanks to the economy.I think every person should have to work in a customer service industry for minimum wage!!!Then perhaps people would complain less about being paid a decent amoun tof money for handling the stresses of their "careers". Did anyone also think that perhaps their are more resources available( for example: psychotherapists) to those who can pay for that service? I would be curious to see what the stress level to wage ratio is?Any one want to help fund this study lol.I think the bottom line is find something your good at, deal with the stress as best as you can and be kind to those having issues!!!It does not cost money to say Thanks for the job you do!!! Thanks to the engineers, I am glad you are happy and healthy!!
Posted by: Sara | Dec 6, 2021 10:18:05 AM
The least stressful job of all time is a book cataloguer. It's up there with Internet blog writer.
Posted by: Dave | Dec 6, 2021 10:33:36 AM
#4? Really? Did they even talk to Web Developers? Long days, low pay, nagging clients & managers.
Posted by: work | Dec 6, 2021 10:45:48 AM
no question for canada it is teachers - very low hours, ridiculous amounts of vacation, tons of "sick" days and great pensions, high pay and huge job security. However even with all these perks tecahers are chronic whiners - and like to give the perception that they are in a high stress job. truth is, high stress "people" are attracted to low stress jobs (makes sense) like teaching for all these benefits you can't find anywhere else. yet they still complain!!!
Posted by: Linda | Dec 6, 2021 11:04:31 AM
I agree that minimum wage jobs are the most stressful. They are easy to get when you in a hurry to bring in money. They do use and abuse you. The customers do treat you like you are a moron. The least stressful would be when you are your own boss and call the shots as well you can sit down at any time to take the load off your feet. Further more if you have a degree in a particular career then that is what you do and eventually excel at it, however, with minimum wage jobs the job description changes right from the get go and so much more is added on to the point of injury down the road and major frustration.
Posted by: Plep | Dec 6, 2021 11:34:16 AM
Perhaps engineers rate their jobs as less stressful because they are rationalists taught to use logic and reason, and not drama queens. It might also have something to do with their grueling education, which certainly toughens them because it's a major stress test.
Posted by: Don | Dec 6, 2021 11:40:13 AM
I have my own company.I have 10 employees working for me and sometimes I feel like I'm babysitting.I have customers also who expect ME to produce a good product.When things go wrong I have to answer to 20 customers my employees have to answer to one boss.Yea no stress there.
Posted by: Teacher | Dec 6, 2021 11:51:02 AM
My comment is for Work. You don't know the half of it. My job is so great I think anyone who doesn't sign up for it is really missing out. You should quit what you're doing right now and go back to university for six years so you can get on the gravy train as well. Think seriously about this. Only a fool would miss out on such a great opportunity!
Posted by: awesome adrian | Dec 6, 2021 12:12:47 PM
I fully agree with the stated comment:
"Perhaps engineers rate their jobs as less stressful because they are rationalists taught to use logic and reason, and not drama queens. It might also have something to do with their grueling education, which certainly toughens them because it's a major stress test."
Posted by: Ray Larder | Dec 6, 2021 12:31:06 PM
Annie got it right, It's Federal Public Servant, then MPP, Then Teachers.
Posted by: Steve | Dec 6, 2021 1:14:21 PM
To Annie and Larder...mMy girlfriend works as a public servant (Canada pension benefits officer) ..If you knew the way the government runs the Canada pension plan you wouldn't think the job was low stress.....working under incompentent management can make even the least stressful jobs high stress...There is a reason crown corporations become privatized...it's because the beurocrats in charge of these companies are usually incompetent for the most part and don't have to answer to sharholders!......Add the union into the mix and what you have a mix of slackers and useless managers...Great enviroment to work in!!
Posted by: Mark | Dec 6, 2021 2:06:20 PM
Teaching is not as easy as people think. I have a friends and family that are teachers, and while they get a good chunk of time off in summer, the rest of the year is very hectic. You don't have time to prep or mark papers and tests during the day. Most teachers are involved in at least one extra curricular activity taking up evenings and/or weekends. Like any other job things get easier the longer you are in it, but for teachers that actually care about their students it can be a consuming occupation. As a parent of four I can't imagine being responsible for 20-25 kids, seven hours a day, and then have to deal with the parents as well.
Posted by: carl | Dec 6, 2021 2:11:53 PM
Gimme a break! Engineers deal in black and whites, if the numbers aren't right its a no go. Simplifies everything. When you're dealing with stresses, capacities, deflection etc, there are formulas for their calculations. If something is not up to par then its a no go. Simply a go no go job
Posted by: Melissa | Dec 6, 2021 2:25:05 PM
Work, you have no idea what you are talking about. I have taught high school for 5 years and believe me, there is no more rewarding or stressful job than that. Sure I get summers off, but the rest of the year, I take on the role as mentor and educator. Not to mention the 34 students I have to inspire in each class. I have lesson plans, marking, prep for standarized testing, extra-curricular work, and exam preparation. This is not a 9-5 job. You are dealing with over 34 unique personalities with different learning abilities and you have to some how create lessons to match them all. In addition to students, I have to deal with parents - parents who care and parents who don't.
Posted by: Major Anatomy | Dec 6, 2021 2:40:02 PM
I have had a lot of jobs that I have only been so-so at, and I am definitely not a people person. Being a teacher is stressful, I have firsthand experience of that. Working for the gov't is stressful, I have firsthand of that, too. Pretty much all work is stressful. But there are some that are less stress than others, especially if you love what you are doing and are good at it:
#1) Flower delivery driver (b)
#2) Blog writer/ Newspaper columnist (not reporter) (a)/(b)
#3) Product reviewer/ Restaurant reviewer (a)/(b)
#4) Mortician / Funeral attendant (b)/(a)
#5) Fine Artist (i.e. not commercial artist) (a)
Where (a) = a job I've actually had
(b) = jobs I know a lot about
Posted by: Useless survey | Dec 6, 2021 2:57:30 PM
You have to be kidding me! I know many engineers and they have strict deadlines, demanding clients and guess what many of them do not get summer off usually the industy standard is just 3 - 4 weeks a year. Not to mention they are not unionized which means if you don't perform you do not get raises. Unlike teachers, nurses, and public servants who seem to get more and more perks and raises every three years. Plus civil engineers have a high technical difficulty to their job, when was the last time any of you designed a bridge or building for a 50 to 100 year lifespan. Its just not easy calculations you have to put some independent thought behind it. And then on top of all that engineers have to stamp their work so if anything ever goes wrong with the structure they are held liable for it for the lifetime of the structure! When was the last time a teacher, nurse or public servant took responsibility for anything! Anything goes wrong with those guys and guess what they all hide behind their union lawyers.
This survey is junk and once again who ever wrote it has no idea on the facts behind these jobs.
If it wasn't for the engineers you wouldn't have any of the infrastructure you use today. Roads that get you to work, bridges that connect your communities. The next time your driving in your car on the weekend or you have every friday off because your union perks take a look out your window, chances are these some kind of construction going on and guess what if you look close you'll see a guy wearing a white hat in an arguments with the contactor....that the engineer making sure your bridge or road is built safely!!!! No stress...what a joke!