Newspapermen make news. The just-published Jobs Rated Report by careercast.com has ousted the lumberjack from the position of worst profession. Taking its place is the newspaper reporter. Says the survey: “It is a job that has lost its lustre dramatically over the past five years and is expected to plummet even further by 2020.” In other words, like the village blacksmith and the town crier, the traditional journalist won’t be left with a profession after a few years.

According to the Jobs Rated Report, a good job is one that has demand and scope, low stress levels and a great work environment. The best jobs of 2013 are: actuary, biomedical engineer, software engineer, audiologist and financial planner.

The worst jobs of 2013 are: reporter (newspaper), lumberjack, enlisted military personnel, actor and oil rig worker. All these careers have very high stress levels though some may have quite supportive work environments.

The CareerCast report is into its 25th edition now. Last year, the best job was software engineer. That’s in decline phase; there has been a drop in hiring outlook. The other ousted professions are HR manager and dental hygienist. At the bottom end, the dairy farmer has made an exit. A great job does not have to be glamorous. The jobs with sex appeal are quite different. A Harvard Business Review survey puts data scientists on the top of the sexiest heap. That’s another profession that you have to figure out what it means, though big data has become quite a buzz phrase today.

In Australia, where they do things with more flair, victoriamilan.com.au has come up with a recent list. VictoriaMilan describes itself as an “infidelity site” which means it caters to the choice of the opposite sex. Topping the list for women (Ladies’ Choice — see box) is the soldier, which is in the dumps at CareerCast. Men prefer yoga teachers and the like — women working in sports and recreation. Nobody wants the insurance agent or, curiously enough, people working in consultancy and strategy. Somewhere or the other they have slipped up on strategy; they need a Sudhir Kakkar for consultancy.

In India, most lists are derivative: some HR expert sets himself up as an authority and extrapolates from a survey conducted elsewhere. But here is a survey from apex chamber Assocham that was conducted earlier this year. Assocham polled B-school grads. In Tier II and Tier III towns, the vast majority — 85 per cent — would prefer to join a public sector undertaking (PSU). The principal attraction, says Assocham, is “100% stability”. It’s the old story: once you get a PSU job, mediocrity takes over from meritocracy.

In the metros, however, it was a different story. Nearly, 90 per cent of B-school students said that leading corporates give them a culture that is challenging. Says Assocham: “The overwhelming majority of students in metros also felt that with liberalisation advancing, it is childish to believe that the concept of permanent jobs will remain even in the PSUs. Therefore, there is no point working for organisations whose board of directors have over 500 MPs and bureaucrats — as their bosses.” They have no patience to wait for 25-30 years to become MDs or CEOs.

In the rural areas, as another survey shows, the “upwardly mobile” want to come to the cities to become chauffeurs. Let not ambition mock their useful toil, their homely joys, and destiny obscure; they have more driving ambition than most of their B-school brethren.

HOT DOWN UNDER

The professions Australians find sexy in their mates Ladies’ choice:

Soldiers

Emergency service personnel

Tradesmen/Construction workers

Sportsmen

Doctors

and men prefer...

Women working in sports and recreation

Medical workers

Hospitality and tourism

Students

Lawyers

the unwanted (both sexes)

Insurance

Manufacturing

Community services

Call centres and customer service

Consulting and strategy

Source: Victoriamilan.com.au