Do you have the toughest job in the US? New survey reveals most grueling gigs

Construction workers, firefighters, military personnel and doctors — these are the “toughest jobs in America,” according to a new survey.The poll included 2,000 Americans (1,000 of whom are trade workers), asking respondents what they believe the “toughest” jobs are and what comes to mind when they think of “tough jobs.”Police officers ranked No.5, followed by EMTs and astronauts.While some listed unique professions, others shared descriptors of what makes a job challenging, like “solving other people’s problems all day with little to no help,” “constantly making quick decisions and being stuck in stressful situations daily” or “something that pushes my physical and mental limits.”Commissioned by Bosch Power Tools and conducted by Talker Research, the survey revealed that, whether or not they fit into those specific categories, 40% of employed Americans believe their job is hard.

Trade workers were more than twice as likely to grade their job as difficult (50% vs.21%).One in five employed respondents — both within and outside of the trades — emphasized the grit that goes into their daily responsibilities, believing that you need to be “extremely tough” to do their job.A majority of respondents admit that trade workers are, on average, tougher than non-trade workers (72%), and 81% of all surveyed don’t think trade workers get enough credit for the work that they do. Despite not getting enough credit, those who are not actively in the trades would still consider pursuing them.Nearly half (49%) of the non-trade respondents said that they would be open to doing trade work as a career and 68% of respondents who didn’t have access to trade skills courses (wood shop, mechanics, etc.) in high school said they would have enrolled if given the option.Additionally, the results found that 43% of those who are not currently in trade work have done it in the past and would do it again (70%).As trade work continues to grow in popu...