What classifies a role as one of the worst jobs in the world? Low wages? Toxic work environment? Zero work-life balance? Receiving urgent work from your boss on a Friday evening? Or professionally editing pictures only for the client to discard your sleepless nights with a filter on them!
A job position may seem like the worst job depending on the person and their goals. But some aren’t privileged enough to make this decision. Luckily few have the academic qualifications to switch jobs if they wish to.
15 Worst Jobs in The World
But there are a million who would prefer that instead of some of these 15 worst job positions in the world.
1. Manual Scavenging
Even though this is one of the most crucial jobs in society, sanitation employees are often overlooked and underappreciated. The majority of sewer cleaners do not have access to fair and consistent pay.
Cleaning toilets and areas, collecting, separating, cleaning & emptying sewers, septic tanks, drains, and so on are all jobs performed by sanitation professionals. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
Manual scavenging is one of the most inhumane and degrading forms of sanitation work. These employees’ clean filthy dry latrines, clean or repair sewer lines, empty septic tanks, and clean railroad tracks, among other things. They come into direct contact with human feces without any protective gear or requisite support measures. This increases the chances of contracting infectious diseases, making it a risky job.
The problem occurs due to a lack of proper sanitation systems, mechanization, and protective gear. They are subjected to unthinkable health risks and social humiliation, and solitude.
Diseases, particularly gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin problems, have a significant risk of contracting. A sewer worker’s median annual pay is $58,660.
2. Post Office Service Workers
A postal service worker sorts and delivers posts. They assist post users as needed. Increased electronic mail applications have decreased the demand for post office service staff.
Even though it may be an excellent and well-paying job, the projected job growth of post office service workers has significantly decreased. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
Mail carriers spend most of their days outside, either walking or driving USPS vans and trucks. When the weather turns bad, they don’t get a break. These couriers are unafraid of snow, rain, heat, or the darkness of night as they complete their assigned rounds. This may entail navigating treacherous roads and footing. Clerks have a considerably better chance. They work in post offices, which are located indoors.
This is a full-time job opportunity. Because USPS offices are open six days a week, the job may need you to work on Saturdays and Sundays, even when the post office is closed. This is especially true in the weeks leading up to the holidays when shipping and mailing are at their highest.
Additionally, postal couriers must contend with adverse weather conditions and time-wasting traffic jams during delivery. A postal service worker’s median average pay is $53,337.
3. Crime Scene Cleaners
A crime scene cleaner is responsible for cleaning up and repairing sites where homicides, suicides, and accidents occur. This work entails cleaning up bloodstains, body pieces, bodily fluids, and other gruesome items from the site, one of the worst jobs in the world.
This job demands a lot of stamina because cleaning up a crime scene can take hours, depending on how terrible it is. Crime scene cleaners often enter a frightening and emotionally fraught situation as “second responders.” Whatever the circumstances, you must maintain your professional composure while providing sympathy and support to the families.
Crime scene cleanup is one of the worst jobs in the world. Flexibility and dedication are required in this profession. It is not for everyone to pursue a career path in crime scene cleanup.
If you want to work in crime scene cleanup, you need first to learn everything there is to know about the job.
These dangers need the use of biohazard suits, gloves, respirators, and other personal protection equipment by technicians. Although crime scene cleanup is not an officially regulated business, there are standards and criteria that people who operate in this field must adhere to.
4. Soldiers
Talking about one of the worst jobs in the world, while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces allows individuals to learn and advance their education, military personnel often face challenging conditions. They are generally deployed for long periods away from their families. And put their lives in peril to defend their country and offer support and care to people around them.
Military personnel endure the highest dangers when attempting to defend their country. It is a stressful job, exposed to challenging working conditions, particularly in battle zones. They live to battle, and death is always on the horizon when they embark on a mission.
Although their families receive compensation for their loved ones’ murders, money will never be able to replace a person’s life. They are constantly deployed on military missions and have little time for their families. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
One of the main reasons for adding this to the worst jobs globally is simply the loss of recognition. Most people who survive death are left with severe injuries, disabilities, and trauma.
5. Miners
Due to the nature of their employment, these workers are known to have a short lifespan. They enter tiny, unstable tunnels that may contain explosives and collapse during construction. Miners have also died due to drowning in water ditches prevalent in some mining locations.
The average wage for miners is $20.68 per hour. They frequently wear helmets to protect their heads, yet death and injury in the mineral areas occur in unimaginable ways. Dusty, hot, and humid working surroundings are also exceedingly hostile, contributing to respiratory tract illnesses.
It is one of the worst jobs in the world because miners encounter threats they can’t see. Some are carbon monoxide and methane gas and cave-ins and explosions.
It’s why canaries were introduced into mines by past generations of miners. They knew they were in trouble if the canary began to struggle – or died.
6. Gravediggers
Gravediggers are responsible for digging graves in cemeteries. It may sound disturbing, but it is a necessary task anytime someone dies and has to be buried. Because individuals die every day, there is a high demand for this job. Without a doubt, gravediggers have one of the worst jobs in the world. At least one gravedigger is employed in every cemetery.
Rather than being a gloomy and scary task, digging a grave expresses respect for the deceased. They usually do not know the deceased and have little or no personal interaction with the family.
To work as a gravedigger, you must be at ease with death and what you do for a living. It is a physically demanding job that requires working unusual hours. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
According to the most recent national job data, grave Diggers can earn a median average wage of $27,833, or $13 per hour. As a result, it has an Above Average Salary. Depending on where they work and reside, they can make as little as $20,270 or $10 per hour.
7. Firefighters
Being a fireman is a stressful job that ordinary people rely on when needing emergency services. Firefighters not only save people’s lives but are often the first responders to explosions, natural disasters, wildfires, traffic accidents, and other disasters.
The mentally and physically demanding job can take a toll on those who do it. One of the most severe dangers of becoming a firefighter is personal harm. Burns, smoke inhalation, and even crush injuries from collapsing structures are risks for firefighters. They may have heat fatigue, long-term work disorders, respiratory tract infections, and worse.
Because of this physically demanding job, firefighters are susceptible to all types of bodily injuries while on the job. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
The mental anguish, and physical labor, especially in instances with mass casualties, make this one of the worst jobs globally with a median wage. As first responders, firefighters are frequently confronted with high stress.
The high-stakes environment of attempting to assist as many people as possible, remove them from danger, and aid in treatment. Often while performing their duties in difficult or unfolding situations.
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a common ailment among firefighters. When they observe a terrible occurrence that permanently impacts the mind, this medical condition develops.
It’s one of the worst jobs globally, considering that it can cause mental health risks. PTSD patients may become introverted and sad, aggressive, and destructive.
Work-Life Balance Is unstable. They work long hours and ad hoc schedules, making it difficult to strike a work-life balance. Traditional family life may be skewed, resulting in dissatisfaction and estrangement among family members.
Working long hours is especially important for regionally deployed firefighters to fight wildfires or aid in huge natural disaster areas. The position’s overall stress is exacerbated by the extended hours.
The elevated stress levels don’t usually dissipate when they leave the scene. Firefighters’ annual median salary is $51,045. The pay is minimal compared to the risk involved in this dangerous job.
8. Pest Control Workers
Some of the worst jobs in the world also include pest control workers. Their median average wage is $16.97 per hour. Cockroaches, bees, wasps, rats, and bedbugs are among the pests they look for in homes and organizations.
Controlling contaminated regions is also time-consuming, and pesticides are frequently used. They can be dangerous to the body if not handled appropriately. They also creep into small, cramped locations in quest of pest hideouts.
The pay is low, and you may have to work for a long time before receiving a contract invitation. Nowadays, most institutions have improved sanitation to combat insect infestations, making the function obsolete. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
9. Social Workers
People who choose a career in social work are frequently confronted with horrific and disheartening circumstances. One wouldn’t imagine social work being on the list of worst jobs globally. Working with orphaned children, victims of abuse, and homeless individuals can be rewarding. But the circumstances that social workers must deal with can be demanding, and their mental health may suffer as a result. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
These are the first responders to people in crisis, such as HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, the elderly, the disabled, and orphans. They meet a lot of opposition as they try to reach out to these folks in need.
They go about from one place to another. They perform lovely yet revolting tasks such as dealing with the sick’s wounds and bodily waste. In addition, they run the danger of getting infectious infections while on the job. Their salary is minimal compared to the quantity of effort and difficulties; their median wage annually is $56,040.
10. Taxi Driver
A taxi driver has to deal with various issues, including angry customers, rush hour traffic, and long hours behind the wheel. Long-distance travel, inclement weather, and late-night tasks are common occurrences for taxi drivers. Taxi drivers work on holiday breaks and mostly spend time away from their families and friends.
On top of that, they have a lot of obligations to themselves and their passengers. It may not seem like one of the worst jobs globally, but for a taxi driver, the negatives easily exceed the benefits. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
As a result of these circumstances, cab driving is the worst employment in America. Compared to the median wage rate of $37,690, most taxi drivers earn roughly $491 per week. Furthermore, ride-sharing applications continue to pose the greatest threat to the taxi business. As a result, the expected growth of 5% may be meaningless to taxi operators.
11. Mortuary Attendants
These are the people in charge of receiving human bodies in hospitals. They deal with various dead bodies, including decomposed, disassembled, and fresh corpses. This has to be one of the worst jobs in the world simply because of its nature. Because the job is so upsetting, it requires sober people with the courage to do it.
Embalmers take care of bodies by preserving them, cleaning them, and preparing them for burial or cremation. In some parts of the world, it pays well. The working environment is filthy, with horrible odors and scenes and terrible memories.
Some situations are frightening, such as when a corpse moves due to impact; one may be afraid that the person is not dead. Even the tiniest movement at the morgue may be terrifying, especially if you’re working alone. The average annual salary is between $34,592 and $49,622.
12. Retail Salesperson
Using their marketing tactics, these salesmen are compensated based on how many goods they can sell. They also sell through print media venues, which have seen a significant drop in circulation.
Retail salespeople have been reporting lower and lower job satisfaction percentages due to the Internet and online merchants like Amazon. Salespeople in mattress, furniture, and electronics stores can’t complete transactions the way they did, especially since most women visit salesrooms to see things in person before finding a better offer online.
In addition to earning a pitiful commission, salespeople spend most of their days dealing with customers, some of whom may be nasty or hostile. All of this adds to their discontent with their work and makes it one of the worst jobs in the world to have.
It all depends on your ability to communicate and persuade others. Because the possibilities of influencing customers to accept your goods are slim, most salespeople are underpaid. The median wage for a salesperson is $491 per week.
It is one of the worst jobs globally, as they have some of the lowest work satisfaction rates in the United States. The hours are rigid and long, the income is tiny, the labor is unsatisfying, and the clients can be nasty.
Many individuals see cashiering as a part-time job or a way to make ends meet, and it’s unfulfilling in the sense that there’s no room for advancement or progress. Customers can be snippy, increasing one’s overall stress. The salary is usually minimum wage, with an average of $10 per hour. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
13. Slaughterhouse Worker
According to many surveys conducted worldwide, sewage cleaners and workers at factory farms and slaughterhouses have terrible jobs. Fish, cattle, poultry, and other animals are raised on factory farms, and they are slaughtered for their meat at slaughterhouses. It is one of the worst jobs in the world.
Taking care of the animals kept in small enclosures is another demanding task for these workers. This means giving the animals vaccinations daily, cleaning out their food and feces, and transporting them to overloaded vans.
Furthermore, slaughterhouses are filthy, smelly, and loaded with blood, resulting in unhygienic working conditions and placing workers in danger of disease.
Working with animals in varying states of terror and anguish, these professionals have become accustomed to the constant screams of dying animals who refuse to die. These workers are also underpaid and belong to the lower social classes.
14. Road Kill Pickers
It’s never a pleasant sight to see dead animals on the side of the road, but it’s all too common. Roadkill. Animals must cross unlimited kilometers of pavement daily.
When a helpless creature gets struck by a vehicle, it is always tragic but often unavoidable. Fortunately, thanks to vigilant roadkill collectors, roadkill disappears.
Any creature killed by a motor vehicle is referred to as roadkill. For animal lovers, this would, without a doubt, be one of the worst jobs in the world. Roadkill collectors are responsible for locating, removing, and disposing of roadkill.
Roadkill collectors are paid $40 per deer, with an annual average of 1,800 animals. That’s a yearly compensation of $72,000. Others are paid roughly $15 per hour, and some are compensated for animal removal. It’s a profession that requires you to be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
15. Telemarketer
Working as a telemarketer isn’t one of the worst jobs in the world. It is one of the most emotionally exhausting office jobs in the job market. While responding to furious consumers who may be verbally abusive is a big part of it, it also doesn’t help that most senior management still believes quantity is more essential than quality.
Job opportunities in this sector are rising. However, you must first consider the most pressing issues that telemarketers encounter.
People who work in customer service are well aware of the importance of having thick skin. Everything the agent performs, including calls, their computer screen, and more, is frequently recorded. The only way to address this is to put your faith in your workers.
Companies must recognize that sitting at a desk is physically demanding. Although telemarketing is not as physically demanding as running heavy gear, an ergonomic environment is still necessary.
Call center jobs are widely regarded as the world’s worst office employment. Companies can still contribute to the solution rather than becoming part of the problem. And, maybe, call center employees will be treated with more respect in a few years.
And that was the list of the worst jobs in the world. We’ve all been there, doing those mundane jobs with long hours and minimal compensation, pushing ourselves to the limit for no reason.
Consider these 15 occupations that no one wants the next time you roll your eyes thinking, “this job is the worst.” While these professions may not be the most appealing, some can pay well and offer benefits. Others are just unappealing and underpaid.
In the comments below, let us know which is the worst job globally, according to you.
