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Mind

The most – and least – satisfying jobs out there, according to science

Some jobs are more satisfying than others, and they're not necessarily the ones with a high income or a lot of prestige

By Chris Simms

16 May 2025

Your job can have a big impact on your overall life satisfaction

Jacky Chapman/Janine Wiedel Photolibrary/Alamy

Scientists have uncovered the most satisfying jobs, after analysing 59,000 people and 263 occupations.

Kätlin Anni at the University of Tartu in Estonia and her colleagues dived into data from the Estonian Biobank, doing what they say is probably the most comprehensive and rigorous study yet on satisfaction differences between jobs.

While donating blood for the biobank project, all the participants completed a survey that asked about…

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