Newspaper reporter, photojournalist make U.S. “worst jobs” list

In a list of the 200 “best and worst jobs“, newspaper reporter and photojournalist are ranked near the bottom.

U.S. company CareerCast compiled a best and worst jobs list using data for 200 jobs from the U.S. Labor Department and the U.S. census (including income, working environment, stress, physical demands and job outlook).

Newspaper reporter ranks 188th out of 200, while photojournalists came in at 185, barely above taxi drivers, lumberjacks and roustabouts (an unskilled, temporary labourer), and behind dishwashers, garbarge collectors and bricklayers.

The best job? Software engineer. Computer-related jobs dominate the top 30.

Employment outlook was determined by ranking three factors: employment growth, income growth potential and unemployment rates. 11 stress factors were considered (including travel, deadlines, working in the public eye and competitiveness). Check out the methodology here.

See the specific rankings for the two jobs here. While physical demands for newspaper reporters are low, the hiring outlook is listed as -14.25, while stress ranks in at 44.75. Photojournalists, meanwhile, have slightly higher stress levels (47) but a better hiring outlook (2.09).