Finding the right fit
Low-stress jobs in the UK: what the official data shows
No official source ranks individual jobs by stress. What HSE does publish is how often people in each occupation group say their job caused or worsened stress, depression or anxiety. Skilled trades (800 per 100,000 workers) and machine operatives and drivers (820) report it least, against 2,040 for all jobs, and some of those jobs pay well above the UK median.
Updated
Source: HSE, Self-reported work-related illness by occupation (LFSILLOCC), Table 5, published . Prevalence of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety per 100,000 workers, Great Britain, average for 2022/23 to 2024/25. Labour Force Survey.
- Workers with work-related stress, depression or anxiety, 2024/25
- 964,000
- Working days lost to it, 2024/25
- 22.1 million
- Share of all work-related ill health
- 52%
Source: HSE, Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2025, published . Labour Force Survey, Great Britain, new and long-standing cases.
Work-related stress and pay by occupation group
HSE's rate counts people who say a stress, depression or anxiety condition was caused or made worse by their current or most recent job. 5 of the nine broad groups have a rate that is statistically lower than average; professional and associate professional jobs are higher. Pay is the ONS median for full-time employees in the same group.
| Occupation group | Stress rate per 100,000 | 95% range | Compared with all jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled trades occupations | 800 | 500 to 1,100 | Lower than average | £36,093 |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | 820 | 520 to 1,120 | Lower than average | £33,835 |
| Elementary occupations | 1,210 | 850 to 1,580 | Lower than average | £27,620 |
| Sales and customer service occupations | 1,550 | 1,130 to 1,980 | Lower than average | £26,959 |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 1,640 | 1,330 to 1,960 | Lower than average | £56,653 |
| Caring, leisure and other service occupations | 1,860 | 1,410 to 2,320 | No significant difference | £27,198 |
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | 2,220 | 1,740 to 2,700 | No significant difference | £30,461 |
| Professional occupations | 2,730 | 2,430 to 3,030 | Higher than average | £48,739 |
| Associate professional occupations | 3,020 | 2,560 to 3,490 | Higher than average | £37,960 |
Source: HSE, Self-reported work-related illness by occupation (LFSILLOCC), Table 5, published . Prevalence of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety per 100,000 workers, Great Britain, average for 2022/23 to 2024/25. Labour Force Survey.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs, UK, 2025, for the same SOC 2020 major group.
Better-paid jobs in the groups that report the least stress
These jobs sit in the skilled trades or the operatives and drivers groups, the two with the lowest rates. The rate belongs to the whole group, not to each job, and many of these jobs bring pressures of their own: shift work, physical work, time away from home or strict safety rules. The UK median for full-time work is £39,039.
| Job | Median pay | Way in |
|---|---|---|
| Train driverONS group 8231: Train and tram drivers | £76,327 | Train driver apprenticeship (level 3, typically 12 months)Also needs: Train driving licence and certificate |
| Railway signallerONS group 8234: Rail transport operatives | £57,088 | Rail infrastructure operator apprenticeship (level 3, typically 18 months) |
| Crane driverONS group 8221: Crane drivers | £46,463 | Lifting technician apprenticeship (level 2, typically 24 months)Also needs: CPCS card |
| Rail track maintenance workerONS group 8153: Rail construction and maintenance operatives | £46,403 | Rail engineering operative apprenticeship (level 2, typically 15 months) |
| Aircraft maintenance engineerONS group 5234: Aircraft maintenance and related trades | £45,779 | Aircraft maintenance technician apprenticeship (level 3, typically 36 months) |
| Construction site supervisorONS group 5330: Construction and building trades supervisors | £45,021 | Construction site supervisor apprenticeship (level 4, typically 36 months)Also needs: CSCS card |
| Field service engineerONS group 5246: Electrical service and maintenance mechanics and repairers | £41,662 | Electrical, electronic product service and installation engineer apprenticeship (level 3, typically 36 months) |
| ScaffolderONS group 8151: Scaffolders, stagers and riggers | £41,548 | Scaffolder apprenticeship (level 2, typically 18 months)Also needs: CISRS card |
| Air conditioning and refrigeration engineerONS group 5225: Air-conditioning and refrigeration installers and repairers | £41,166 | Refrigeration air conditioning and heat pump engineering technician apprenticeship (level 3, typically 36 months)Also needs: F gas certificate |
| Maintenance fitter, automation technicianONS group 5223: Metal working production and maintenance fitters and technicians | £40,760 | Maintenance fitter: Maintenance and operations engineering technician apprenticeship (level 3, typically 36 months)Automation technician: Mechatronics maintenance technician apprenticeship (level 3, typically 42 months) |
| Telecoms engineerONS group 5242: Telecoms and related network installers and repairers | £39,998 | Telecoms field operative apprenticeship (level 2, typically 15 months) |
| HGV driverONS group 8211: Heavy and large goods vehicle drivers | £39,905 | Large goods vehicle (LGV) driver C + E apprenticeship (level 2, typically 13 months)Also needs: Lorry licence and Driver CPC |
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.
Apprenticeships: Skills England, apprenticeship standards (approved for delivery). Checked 28 September 2026. Typical length is the duration Skills England gives for each standard. Apprenticeship standards apply in England.
Managers, directors and senior officials also report less stress than average (1,640 per 100,000). That group is broad, from shop managers to chief executives, so the average says little about any one management job.
Where people report the most work-related stress
HSE has enough survey responses to estimate a rate for only a few individual occupations. Over the five years 2020/21 to 2024/25 (which include the pandemic), these had rates statistically higher than the 2,080 per 100,000 for all occupations. Associate professional jobs as a whole, which include health and social care roles and the police, averaged 3,020 in 2022/23 to 2024/25.
| Occupation | Stress rate per 100,000 | 95% range | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police officers (sergeant and below) | 7,450 | 5,040 to 9,860 | not published |
| Welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c. (small sample) | 6,670 | 3,500 to 9,850 | £30,087 |
| Social workers | 5,750 | 3,570 to 7,940 | £44,550 |
| Community nurses (small sample) | 5,000 | 2,700 to 7,310 | £40,897 |
| Other nursing professionals | 4,830 | 3,230 to 6,420 | £42,300 |
| Secondary education teaching professionals | 4,060 | 2,980 to 5,140 | £47,632 |
| Primary education teaching professionals | 3,910 | 2,880 to 4,930 | £45,939 |
| Higher education teaching professionals | 3,530 | 2,220 to 4,840 | £52,835 |
Source: HSE, Self-reported work-related illness by occupation (LFSILLOCC), Table 5, published . Prevalence of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety per 100,000 workers, Great Britain, average for 2020/21 to 2024/25. Labour Force Survey.
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . ONS did not publish 2025 pay for police officers (sergeant and below) after a correction on 19 December 2025.
If you are in one of these jobs and thinking of leaving, our guides for teachers, nurses and police officers show where people usually go next and what it pays.
What the data cannot tell you
- It is about groups, not jobs. HSE publishes rates for broad occupation groups. A job in a low-rate group can still be stressful, and the reverse.
- It is self-reported. The figures count people who believe their condition was caused or made worse by work. They come from the Labour Force Survey, a sample of households, so each estimate has a range of uncertainty (the 95% range in the tables).
- It reflects who does the job now. People who found a job stressful may already have left it, and different jobs attract different people, so a low rate is not proof that the job itself is calm.
- It does not measure other things that matter. Physical risks, night and shift work, and time away from home are not part of this measure.
- Your own situation matters most. HSE says the main causes are workload, lack of managerial support, violence and bullying, change at work and unclear roles. The same job can feel very different with a different employer or manager.
If stress is the reason you want to leave
A new career takes time, and the pressure you are under now matters in the meantime. HSE says your employer must assess the risks to your health from stress at work and share the results with you, and it suggests talking to your manager early, or to HR, a trade union representative, an employee assistance programme or your GP if your manager is part of the problem (HSE: help for employees on stress at work).
If you have anxiety, depression or another mental health condition, the government's Access to Work scheme can help you get or stay in work. Its mental health support can include a tailored plan and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional. Our guide to jobs for people with ADHD covers workplace adjustments in more detail.
Common questions
What is the least stressful job in the UK?
No official source ranks individual jobs by stress. The closest measure is the rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety that HSE publishes for occupation groups. In 2022/23 to 2024/25 the lowest rates were in skilled trades (800 per 100,000 workers) and process, plant and machine operatives, which includes drivers (820), against 2,040 for all occupations.
Which low-stress jobs pay well?
Within the groups that report the least work-related stress, the best-paid jobs in our list by ONS median full-time pay (2025) are train driver (£76,327), railway signaller (£57,088), crane driver (£46,463), rail track maintenance worker (£46,403), aircraft maintenance engineer (£45,779). The stress figures are for whole groups, so they do not prove that any one of these jobs is low in stress.
Which jobs report the most work-related stress?
Over the five years 2020/21 to 2024/25, the highest rates HSE could estimate for individual occupations were for police officers (sergeant and below) (7,450 per 100,000), welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c. (6,670 per 100,000), social workers (5,750 per 100,000), community nurses (5,000 per 100,000), against 2,080 for all occupations. HSE notes that the groups with higher rates often involve a lot of contact with the public and many are in the public sector.
What causes most work-related stress?
HSE says the main cause reported in the Labour Force Survey is workload: tight deadlines, too much work, or too much pressure or responsibility. Other factors include a lack of support from managers, violence and bullying, change at work, and not being clear about your role.
Can I get support at work if I have anxiety or stress?
Your employer has a legal duty to assess the risk of stress at work, according to HSE, and HSE suggests talking to your manager, HR, a trade union representative, an employee assistance programme or your GP. If you have a mental health condition, the government's Access to Work scheme can help you get or stay in work, including a tailored plan and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional.