New analysis pinpoints the professions linked with better physical and mental health – and what makes them stand out
A new analysis of workplace health risks across occupations has revealed that some careers are consistently associated with better health outcomes, safer working environments and more sustainable work patterns.
Health insurance comparison service iSelect conducted the research, analysing injury rates, psychological distress, work hours, commute times and lifestyle behaviours across dozens of occupations and industries. Lower scores in the index indicate healthier overall outcomes, with the healthiest careers showing fewer injury and stress claims, more flexible work patterns and healthier lifestyle behaviours.
Healthiest careers
Farmers and farm managers emerged as having the healthiest career overall with a score of 21.77 out of 100. The occupation showed low mental stress claims at 0.05 per million hours and the lowest psychological distress rate at just 2%. High levels of physical activity – at 49.7% – also contributed to the favourable score, suggesting that active, outdoor work can offer meaningful health benefits when safety is well managed.
Business, human resource and marketing professionals ranked second with a score of 23.21. These roles benefit from relatively low health risk indicators and a high work-from-home rate of 74.1%, which can reduce commuting time and improve work–life balance.
ICT professionals rounded out the top three healthiest careers with a score of 23.41, recording the lowest overall health outcome sub-score at 9.61. The occupation showed minimal injury rates at 0.4 claims per million hours and low psychological distress at 6.8%. With 82.6% able to work from home, many ICT workers experience more control over when and where they work, which may help support their long‑term wellbeing.
HR stands out for flexibility and safety
Within the broader group of business and human resource professionals, HR roles in particular appear to offer a combination of flexibility and comparatively low health risk.
Sophie Ryan, spokeswoman at iSelect, said HR professionals are a clear example of how work design can support better health.
“Workers in HR benefit greatly from the flexibility offered within the industry. Our data shows that around three in four work from home, less than 2% do shift work, and only a quarter regularly work at night. Flexible working arrangements are known to improve employee satisfaction, retention, productivity, and engagement, which ultimately improves employee health," said Ryan.
"Our data also found that HR has low physical injury claims and even fewer mental stress claims, indicating that these roles are generally performed in safe environments with manageable demands compared to other occupations. Overall, our study suggests that the healthiest jobs are often professional, office-based roles that have structured yet flexible working conditions.”
Why work patterns matter
The analysis examined three main categories:
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Health outcomes, including injury and stress claims
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Work patterns and environment, covering factors such as shift work, night work, commuting and work-from-home access
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Health behaviours, including physical activity, smoking and diet
Work patterns proved especially important in differentiating healthier careers from higher-risk ones. Occupations with more regular hours, limited night or shift work and greater capacity for remote or hybrid arrangements tended to record better health outcomes and lower psychological distress.
By contrast, roles with heavy exposure to night shifts, physically demanding tasks and limited flexibility scored worse on the health risk index – highlighting how job design, rather than just the nature of the work itself, can drive long-term health impacts.
Lifestyle factors and employer role
The research also found significant variation in lifestyle risk across occupations. Some roles were associated with lower levels of physical activity and higher rates of smoking and risky alcohol consumption, while others – particularly many health professionals – recorded much lower lifestyle risk scores, including the lowest smoking rate at 1.6% and minimal alcohol risk at 5.4%.
Andres Gutierrez, general manager of health at iSelect, said that while some careers carry inherently higher risks, both individuals and employers can take practical steps to protect wellbeing.
“This is concerning because prolonged exposure to these working conditions can have lasting effects on physical and mental wellbeing,” Gutierrez said.
“To protect long-term health, there are practical steps workers can take, such as maintaining regular physical activity, limiting smoking and alcohol consumption, and eating a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which are all proven to support wellbeing.”
He added that employers can play a critical role by providing flexible schedules, reducing unnecessary night or shift work, and creating safer work environments.
“No matter your career, access to health insurance is critical, helping workers cover medical care, manage injuries, and access preventative support,” Gutierrez said.
Top-risk occupations
Protective service workers, including police officers, firefighters, and correctional officers, ranked as the unhealthiest career with a score of 68.26 out of 100. The occupation recorded high mental stress claims at 9.48 per million hours worked over five years and elevated absenteeism, with 4.6% of workers experiencing illness-related reduced hours per week on average.
Other labourers, a category encompassing freight handlers and shelf fillers, placed second with a score of 57.97. This group recorded the highest physical injury rate of any occupation at 103.1 claims per million hours.
Machine and stationary plant operators rounded out the top three with a score of 53.59, driven primarily by challenging work patterns including shift work and demanding schedules.
Public order, safety and regulatory services emerged as the unhealthiest industry, scoring 66.26 out of 100. The sector recorded mental stress claims at 9.29 per million hours and physical injury claims at 37.1 per million hours. High psychological distress at 13.9% contributed to the poor health profile.
Coal mining ranked second at 55.34, with extreme job design and high levels of night work at 61.6% and shift work at 62.9% intensifying health risks.
Residential care services placed third with a score of 52.49, underpinned by mental stress claims of 2.81 per million hours and physical injury claims of 32.3 per million hours. Nearly half of workers (42.1%) perform shift work, while over a quarter (26.4%) regularly work at night.
