Top 10 Best and Worst Jobs for Your Health

We need to work to make a living, but could our jobs be doing more harm to our health than good? From the most high-stress professions to relaxing lines of work, find out where your job stands on the scale of healthiest and least healthiest jobs.

Thinkstock

1 / 10

Best: Professor

Once they’ve reached tenure, professors have it pretty good. In addition to the opportunity to research and explore subjects that interest them, they have ample vacation time and flexible schedules. Professors have plenty of time to live a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle.

Want to retire early? Here are the best Canadian jobs that will allow you to do so.

Thinkstock

2 / 10

Worst: Doctors and nurses

Devoting your life to keeping others healthy can have a detrimental affect on your own health. Not only are doctors and nurses constantly under pressure, they’re also exposed to a variety of transferable diseases on a daily basis.

Doctors can make a lot of money. Find out which jobs in Canada pay over $400K per year.

Thinkstock

3 / 10

Best: Florist

Florists are exposed to beautiful things on a daily basis, which is why the occupation made Monster's list of healthiest jobs. Florists are free to express their creativity through their work in addition to seeing first hand how their job brings smiles to customer’s faces. Not without its downfalls: meeting event deadlines can be stressful and standing all day while building bouquets can be back-breaking, but it sure beats the detrimental effects of sitting at a desk.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 tips for introverts to help them thrive in the workplace .

Thinkstock

4 / 10

Worst: Desk job

While many companies try to promote a healthy lifestyle with on-site gyms and nutritious cafeterias, there’s no way around the fact that sitting at a desk for so long has negative effects on your health. From back pain to increased risk of obesity and a shorter lifespan, it’s important for these nine-to-fivers to incorporate activity into their lives in other ways.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 ways to relax when you're stressed at work.

Thinkstock

5 / 10

Best: Health professional

Monster's list of healthiest jobs included multiple professions in the health industry, such as nutritionist, massage therapist and chiropractor.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 Canadian careers that'll be in demand in 2020 and after.

Thinkstock

6 / 10

Worst: Firefighter

Being a firefighter requires you to work in highly stressful situations that put you at risk and the health results are severe. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, firefighters are 300 times more likely to suffer from a heart attack at work than any other profession.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 12 natural remedies to help relieve anxiety.

Thinkstock

7 / 10

Best: Fitness instructor

Being fit is practically a requirement to work in the fitness industry; and many people who choose to work in this field and devote their whole lives to healthy living. From personal trainers to choreographers, running coaches and yoga instructors, these jobs encourage a healthy, active lifestyle.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 affordable self-care strategies for your mental health.

Thinkstock

8 / 10

Worst: Labour-intensive jobs

Jobs that require intense manual labour like heavy lifting and operating dangerous machinery constantly put their employees at risk of getting hurt. This category includes jobs like garbage collectors, highway maintenance workers, miners and farmers.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: jobs with the best starting salaries in Canada.

Thinkstock

9 / 10

Best: Government employee

Working for the government means generous benefit packages, good hours and ample vacation time. While certain government jobs can be stressful, like teachers, doctors and construction workers, people in these professions can rest assured knowing that their health needs will always be taken care of.

Getting ready to do your taxes? Here are 10 common tax mistakes Canadians make every year.

Thinkstock

10 / 10

Worst: Transportation workers

Putting in long hours behind the wheel has negative effects on your health. In addition to battling sleepiness on the job, sitting all day and eating fast food on the go, transportation workers also have to worry about the high risk of getting into an accident on the road.

Thinking of retirement? Here are the 10 warmest places to retire in Canada.