The UK's happiest and most miserable jobs aren't what you'd expect
Even in a role you're passionate about, long hours, poor pay or an excessive workload can grind you down — especially if the stakes are high.
A new study has confirmed that 'meaningful' doesn't always equal fulfilling when it comes to careers. In fact, the opposite seems to be true.
Between April 2024 and April 2025, shift work platform Deputy surveyed 1.28 million users about their job satisfaction, with some surprising results.
Healthcare may seem like a rewarding profession – and people hold this essential sector in high esteem – the reality for frontline employees is very different.
Those working in doctors offices and medical clinics recorded the highest level of dissatisfaction in the poll, with a significant 37.84% unhappy sentiment, while critical and emergency services staff (12.05%) and chiropractors (12.93%) also featured in the top five most miserable.
Doctors Office/Medical Clinic – 37.84% Animal Health – 17.95% Chiropractors – 12.93% Critical & Emergency Services – 12.05% Call Centres – 12.00% Catering – 8.60% Delivery and Postal Services – 6.97% Care Facilities – 6.22% Cleaning Services – 5.80% Private Services (Chefs, Gardeners etc) – 5.62%
And despite the fact it's a dream vocation for many, 17.95% of people in the animal health industry said they were stressed or frustrated at the end of their shifts — over 5% more than call centre workers, who were third least satisfied.
'This year's report highlights one of the UK's most pressing issues: healthcare workers are nearing breaking point,' comments Emma Seymour, CFO at Deputy. 'Unless we tackle the root causes of burnout, we risk not only losing frontline talent but the long-term viability of critical community services.'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
On the contrary, a whopping 93.4% of employees at tobacco, e-cigarette and vape stores said they clock off with a smile on their face, making this the happiest job in the country.
Tobacco, E-cigarette and Vape Stores –93.4%
Sit Down Restaurants – 89.7%
Fast Food/Cashier Restaurants – 82.9%
Florists – 82.9%
Food Pop-Ups – 82.5%
Cafes/Coffee Shops – 82%
Dentists – 81.8%
Childcare/Community Centres – 78.4%
Catering – 75.3%
Cleaning Services – 64.3%
Hospitality fared well too, making up five of the 10 happiest positions, in contrast to the sector's reputation for high stress, unsociable hours and low pay.
Elsewhere, florists came second with 82.9% satisfaction, and dentists, childcare workers and cleaners rounded up the ranking, rating their experiences as 'good' or 'amazing' more often than any others.
The report concludes: 'These roles may benefit from clearer routines, manageable workloads, and stronger team camaraderie — highlighting the emotional value of operational structure and positive workplace culture.'
Across the UK, the 'Net Happiness Score' fell from 69% to 65.43% over the last year, which Deputy puts down to the 'cumulative effects of cost-of-living pressures, labour shortages, scheduling volatility, and a perceived lack of career progression'. More Trending
Warwickshire emerged as the country's happiest area for shift workers, with a score 88.26% — more than 22 points above the national average.
Perhaps surprisingly, major cities Manchester (82.58%), Greater London (75.87%), and Edinburgh (75.93%) also ranked well, suggesting wider job availability in urban areas may play a part in supporting worker wellbeing.
On the other end of the scale however, the West Midlands (7.15%), Ireland (26.33%), and Buckinghamshire (25.40%) recorded the lowest overall happiness, with Unhappy sentiment peaking at 35.71% in the West Midlands.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
View More »
MORE: My career was stuck in a rut — could a psychic save it?
MORE: Middlesbrough is the unexpected best-paid city in the UK — how does where you live compare?
MORE: I'm a sex worker, here's a look inside my finances
Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
Supernanny star Jo Frost, 55, reveals battle with 'life-threatening' condition
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Supernanny, aka Jo Frost, has opened up about a debilitating health condition following her diagnosis. The TV icon, who rose to prominence in the UK in the early 2000s helping struggling parents, has revealed that she has anaphylaxis. However, she is determined for it not to 'define' her. As explained by the NHS, anaphylaxis is 'a life-threatening allergic reaction that happens very quickly.' It can be caused by food, medicine, or insect stings, with the most widely noted triggers being wasp and bee stings, peanuts, and tree nuts. If a person shows signs of an anaphylactic shock, they require urgent medical attention. Left untreated, it can ultimately cause cardiac or respiratory arrest. Taking to Instagram with a video to share her experiences, Jo, 55, began: 'I've survived more anaphylactic shocks than I'm prepared to go into detail about right now. 'I have anaphylaxis, a life-threatening medical condition to certain foods that will compromise my body so horrifically to the point of hospitalisation.' She continued, raising awareness: 'Absolute millions of my community around the world, children and adults, live cautiously and anxiously navigating this journey with not nearly enough compassion, education, and empathy from those who do not.' On just how dangerous it is to ignore the severity of the condition, she likened it to 'shoving a loaded gun in [her] face'. Insisting that she is 'unapologetic' about living with anaphylaxis, Jo added: 'I did not ask for it, and it does not define who I am and the impact that I make in the world daily. 'But it does impact how I live my life daily, like the precautions I take, the energy I have to use to discern with hypervigilance.' Jo proceeded to slam those who don't pay close attention to her condition in public settings, such as restaurants. She also stressed the importance of clarity on 'it may contain' food labels. 'By the way, I speak on behalf of those who also have coeliac disease, too, because we are not all faddy eaters,' she went on. Coeliac disease is a condition where the immune system attacks its own tissues when a person eats gluten, causing damage to the gut. 'I'm not looking to be treated special; I'm looking to be treated with the same dignity and attentiveness as you just showed others.' The TV personality implored people not to leave 'passive-aggressive' comments on her post should they not fully understand the condition. Instead, she wants people to educate themselves, concluding: 'Get curious and learn more, because really, as mentioned before, we all know someone.' Jo received an outpouring of support from her followers, with the likes of @merylottenstein1 writing: 'Thank you Jo. Been living with this my whole life and see how it has gotten so much worse for children now. Education is so important as well as looking at our food supply and what is in it. We need to look at the root cause and source as well. ❤️❤️' 'The way you spoke through this was so powerful. I know from lived experience the hardships and shit times a medical condition can dump upon us, but as you can see in this video you move through it with strength, dignity and courage. You do not let it define the woman you are and you have a constant light about you which is radiant and bright 💛', praised @katiepalmer_x. Jo is pretty much TV royalty in England, with clips from her Supernanny days continuing to go viral on TikTok even now. The show originally ran from 2004 to 2008, while a US version was also picked up. Signs of an anaphylactic reaction become apparent very quickly, typically within minutes of coming into contact with something you're allergic to. Symptoms include: swelling of your throat and tongue difficulty breathing or breathing very fast difficulty swallowing, tightness in your throat, or a hoarse voice wheezing, coughing, or noisy breathing feeling tired or confused feeling faint, dizzy, or fainting skin that feels cold to the touch blue, grey, or pale skin, lips, or tongue—if you have brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet a swollen, itchy, or raised rash Its concept saw Jo visit troubled parents in need of guidance. After observing the children's behaviours and how parents responded, she would give instructions and advice on alternative methods of discipline to restore harmony in the household. More Trending Of course, one of her most famous approaches involved the 'naughty step,' which involved placing kids on 'time out' instead of smacking, encouraging them to reflect on their actions. The programme was a hit from the start, with six million tuning in for series 1. Consequently, after steady success over the years, other shows were created in 48 countries by 2014 that were modelled off the Supernanny format. Outside of Supernanny, Jo, who worked as a nanny for over 30 years, beginning when she was just 18, has appeared on Extreme Parental Guidance and Family Matters, as well as several other programmes in Europe. She is also an active campaigner for vaccinating children, speaks out against neglect and poverty, and has written six parenting books. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Disney icon reveals second pregnancy days after announcing acting comeback MORE: Legendary 00s band announce huge tour after cancelling Glastonbury slot MORE: Scrubs fans threaten to boycott reboot as huge character looks unlikely to return
Metro
2 days ago
- Metro
Horrified Tesco shopper ‘bit into live cockroach' in meal deal sandwich
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A Tesco customer was horrified to bite into a 'live cockroach' in his meal deal sandwich. Adil Vasaya, 41, from Bolton, Greater Manchester purchased the chicken tikka sandwich along with a drink and a bag of crisps at the Preston superstore last Saturday. But as he was tucking into his lunch, the post office manager felt something moving around his mouth. Initially believing it to be a spice such as a piece of a cinnamon stick, Adif realised it was live insect. 'As I put it down I saw legs come out and it started moving, it just freaked me out,' he said. Adil continued: 'For the first four days after, I couldn't even eat – I couldn't even face putting anything in my mouth. 'It literally traumatised me that much, for the first four days I just didn't feel like eating at all.' After returning the contaminated sandwich to the store he was given a refund of £1.76 – the cost of the lunchtime snack minus the meal deal discount. More Trending Tesco said it was investigating the source of the cockroach, while insisting that no issues had been reported with its supply chain. A spokesperson for the supermarket giant said: 'We're sorry to hear about this. 'We work closely with our suppliers to ensure there are robust quality procedures in place, and sandwiches are thoroughly checked throughout the production process. 'In a situation like this, we always ask that the customer returns the product to store for a full refund and so our team can fully investigate the potential cause.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Forget about Prosecco — drink this £6.97 sparkling wine from Asda instead MORE: Supermarket own-brand ketchup voted just as good as Heinz — and it's 70% cheaper MORE: Iconic 90s product back on supermarket shelves after 10 years away
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
The UK's happiest and most miserable jobs aren't what you'd expect
They say that if find do a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life, but career satisfaction is a lot more complicated than that. Even in a role you're passionate about, long hours, poor pay or an excessive workload can grind you down — especially if the stakes are high. A new study has confirmed that 'meaningful' doesn't always equal fulfilling when it comes to careers. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. Between April 2024 and April 2025, shift work platform Deputy surveyed 1.28 million users about their job satisfaction, with some surprising results. Healthcare may seem like a rewarding profession – and people hold this essential sector in high esteem – the reality for frontline employees is very different. Those working in doctors offices and medical clinics recorded the highest level of dissatisfaction in the poll, with a significant 37.84% unhappy sentiment, while critical and emergency services staff (12.05%) and chiropractors (12.93%) also featured in the top five most miserable. Doctors Office/Medical Clinic – 37.84% Animal Health – 17.95% Chiropractors – 12.93% Critical & Emergency Services – 12.05% Call Centres – 12.00% Catering – 8.60% Delivery and Postal Services – 6.97% Care Facilities – 6.22% Cleaning Services – 5.80% Private Services (Chefs, Gardeners etc) – 5.62% And despite the fact it's a dream vocation for many, 17.95% of people in the animal health industry said they were stressed or frustrated at the end of their shifts — over 5% more than call centre workers, who were third least satisfied. 'This year's report highlights one of the UK's most pressing issues: healthcare workers are nearing breaking point,' comments Emma Seymour, CFO at Deputy. 'Unless we tackle the root causes of burnout, we risk not only losing frontline talent but the long-term viability of critical community services.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On the contrary, a whopping 93.4% of employees at tobacco, e-cigarette and vape stores said they clock off with a smile on their face, making this the happiest job in the country. Tobacco, E-cigarette and Vape Stores –93.4% Sit Down Restaurants – 89.7% Fast Food/Cashier Restaurants – 82.9% Florists – 82.9% Food Pop-Ups – 82.5% Cafes/Coffee Shops – 82% Dentists – 81.8% Childcare/Community Centres – 78.4% Catering – 75.3% Cleaning Services – 64.3% Hospitality fared well too, making up five of the 10 happiest positions, in contrast to the sector's reputation for high stress, unsociable hours and low pay. Elsewhere, florists came second with 82.9% satisfaction, and dentists, childcare workers and cleaners rounded up the ranking, rating their experiences as 'good' or 'amazing' more often than any others. The report concludes: 'These roles may benefit from clearer routines, manageable workloads, and stronger team camaraderie — highlighting the emotional value of operational structure and positive workplace culture.' Across the UK, the 'Net Happiness Score' fell from 69% to 65.43% over the last year, which Deputy puts down to the 'cumulative effects of cost-of-living pressures, labour shortages, scheduling volatility, and a perceived lack of career progression'. More Trending Warwickshire emerged as the country's happiest area for shift workers, with a score 88.26% — more than 22 points above the national average. Perhaps surprisingly, major cities Manchester (82.58%), Greater London (75.87%), and Edinburgh (75.93%) also ranked well, suggesting wider job availability in urban areas may play a part in supporting worker wellbeing. On the other end of the scale however, the West Midlands (7.15%), Ireland (26.33%), and Buckinghamshire (25.40%) recorded the lowest overall happiness, with Unhappy sentiment peaking at 35.71% in the West Midlands. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ View More » MORE: My career was stuck in a rut — could a psychic save it? MORE: Middlesbrough is the unexpected best-paid city in the UK — how does where you live compare? MORE: I'm a sex worker, here's a look inside my finances Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
