Choosing a career
Jobs with a better work-life balance
No official source ranks jobs by work-life balance, so this guide uses what can be measured: where flexible and hybrid working is common, which sectors report the most work-related stress, and what the jobs pay. Desk jobs offer the most flexible and hybrid working, but they are not automatically low-stress, and public-facing jobs in the public sector report the most stress.
Updated
Source: HSE, Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2025, published .
What the evidence says about balance
The Health and Safety Executive estimates that 964,000 workers in Great Britain had work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25, with 22.1 million working days lost. Averaged over 2022/23 to 2024/25, three sectors had significantly higher rates than the 2,040 per 100,000 workers across all industries:
- public administration and defence: 3,470 per 100,000
- human health and social work: 2,830 per 100,000
- education: 2,620 per 100,000
Office jobs are not automatically calmer. Professional occupations (2,730) and associate professional occupations (3,020) also had higher rates than average. HSE says the jobs with higher rates often involve a lot of contact with the public, and many are largely in the public sector. In HSE's latest data on causes (2009/10 to 2011/12), the main cause people gave was workload: tight deadlines, too much work, or too much pressure and responsibility. Other factors included a lack of support from managers, bullying and changes at work.
So the workload, the manager and how much control you have over your hours matter as much as the job title. When you compare offers, ask about typical weekly hours, on-call or weekend work, and how many days you can work from home.
Jobs with regular hours and room for flexible working
These are our picks: desk-based jobs with regular hours, in occupation groups where home and hybrid working is common, and outside the smaller job groups HSE flags for higher stress. The reasons and warnings are our judgement. Pay is the ONS median for full-time employees; the UK median for all full-time jobs is £39,039.
| Job | Median pay | Home working in group | Why it can suit | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developerONS group 2134: Programmers and software development professionals | £56,914 | 59% | Work is planned in projects and done at a computer, and hybrid working is common. | Some teams run on-call rotas for live systems. Ask before you accept an offer. |
| Actuary, economist or statisticianONS group 2433: Actuaries, economists and statisticians | £53,342 | 59% | Analytical work to reporting cycles rather than shifts. | ONS says professional qualifications are mandatory for actuaries, so expect professional exams. |
| Compliance or quality assurance managerONS group 2482: Quality assurance and regulatory professionals | £50,083 | 59% | Work runs to audit and regulatory calendars that are known in advance. | Busy periods around audits and reporting deadlines. |
| Software testerONS group 2136: IT quality and testing professionals | £47,118 | 59% | Testing is scheduled as part of project plans. | Release dates can squeeze testing time at the end of a project. |
| Technical author or copywriterONS group 3412: Authors, writers and translators | £39,459 | 56% | Deadline-based work that is often done from home. | Writers who work for themselves are not in the ONS pay figures, and freelance income is less predictable. |
| Personal assistant or secretaryONS group 4215: Personal assistants and other secretaries | £34,954 | 54% | Office hours, in the administrative group where hybrid working is common. | Your hours can follow the person you support. |
| Bookkeeper or payroll clerkONS group 4122: Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks | £31,560 | 54% | Regular hours with deadlines you can see coming. | Month-end, payroll dates and the tax year-end are busy. |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
Source: ONS, Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: working arrangements by personal characteristics, 1 April to 28 June 2026, published .
What we left out. Earlier versions of this page listed teaching, therapy, some NHS roles and the civil service because of their holidays, fixed shifts or flexitime. Education, health and social work, and public administration are the three sectors HSE found to have significantly higher stress rates than average, so we no longer suggest them for balance, though individual employers vary. For jobs chosen mainly for lower pressure, see low-stress jobs in the UK.
Your rights on hours and holiday
- Working hours. You cannot be made to work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks, but you can choose to opt out. Some jobs are exceptions, such as those needing 24-hour staffing (GOV.UK).
- Holiday. Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. For someone working 5 days a week that is 28 days, and employers can count bank holidays as part of it (GOV.UK).
- Flexible working. In England, Scotland and Wales, employees can ask from their first day to change their hours, their start and finish times, the days they work or where they work. Options include part time, compressed hours, flexitime, job sharing and hybrid working. You can make 2 requests in 12 months; your employer must decide within 2 months and can refuse for a business reason (GOV.UK).
If you are a parent
Parents are more likely than other workers to work from home. In ONS's survey for April to June 2026, 17% of parents of dependent children worked only from home and 29% were hybrid, compared with 12% and 25% of other workers. An earlier ONS analysis for April to June 2024 found working fathers more likely to be hybrid than working mothers: 41% against 30%.
The rights and help that make most difference, from GOV.UK:
- Flexible working from day one, including part time, compressed hours, flexitime or staggered hours, as above.
- Unpaid parental leave: up to 18 weeks for each child before their 18th birthday, usually no more than 4 weeks a year per child. It applies to employees, not the self-employed or agency workers (GOV.UK).
- Time off for dependants: a reasonable amount of time to deal with an emergency, such as a child falling ill. Your employer does not have to pay you for it (GOV.UK).
- Tax-Free Childcare: for every £8 you pay into a childcare account, the government adds £2, up to £2,000 a year for each child aged 11 or under (£4,000 for a disabled child, up to age 16) (GOV.UK).
If you are returning after time away, our guide to jobs for returning to work covers refreshing skills and routes back in.
Common questions
Which jobs have the best work-life balance in the UK?
No official source ranks jobs by work-life balance. Our picks are desk-based jobs with regular hours and flexible working, outside the sectors where HSE records the most work-related stress. Examples with ONS 2025 median full-time pay include software developer (£56,914); actuary, economist or statistician (£53,342); compliance or quality assurance manager (£50,083).
Which jobs are the most stressful in the UK?
HSE's 2025 statistics show the highest rates of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in public administration and defence (3,470 cases per 100,000 workers), human health and social work (2,830) and education (2,620), against 2,040 across all industries, averaged over 2022/23 to 2024/25. By job, health professionals, teaching professionals, health and social care associate professionals and protective service occupations were among those with higher rates.
Can my employer make me work more than 48 hours a week?
Not on average, unless you agree. GOV.UK says you cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks, but you can choose to opt out. Some jobs are exceptions, including those needing 24-hour staffing, the armed forces, emergency services and police.
Can I ask to work part time or from home?
Yes. In England, Scotland and Wales every employee can make a statutory request for flexible working from their first day in a job, covering hours, start and finish times, days and where they work. You can make 2 requests in 12 months, and your employer must decide within 2 months unless you agree longer. They can refuse for a business reason.
What time off can working parents take?
Employees can take up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave for each child before their 18th birthday, usually no more than 4 weeks a year per child. You also have the right to a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, such as a child falling ill. Your employer does not have to pay you for it.