Actuaries 2nd in Job Ranking

May 13, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Those who need all ten fingers and ten toes to calculate anything other than the most elementary math, may find it hard to believe that being an actuary is one of the best jobs around.

Actuaries actually ended up taking the number two spot in the latest edition of the “Jobs Rated Almanac.”

Actuaries, who help pension administrators and others determine future liabilities, actually slipped slightly from previous editions of the book when they led the best jobs list.

The book ranks 250 professions according to six variables: income, stress, physical demands, potential growth, job security and work environment. Editor Les Krantz uses US Department of Labor statistics, US Census data, professional organizations, and telephone surveys in developing the rankings.

Heading the latest list were biologists, who have the best future prospects in large part because of ongoing research to unravel the human gene map as well as the anthrax scare, according to Jobs Rated editor Les Krantz.

What are the worst jobs? The list ranks cowboy, fisherman, and lumberjack in the final three slots.

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