City & Guilds’ Career Happiness Index finds gardeners and florists are the happiest workers in the UK, followed by hairdressers and plumbers…bankers, IT professionals and HR workers are the least happy across Britain.

City & Guilds releases the Career Happiness Index 2012, which offers broad insights into what people in the UK consider to be most important factors contributing to their happiness at work. The study reveals the jobs that make people the happiest and why, painting a picture of a British workforce who want flexibility, reasonable control over their daily duties and the opportunity to use their skills to tackle challenges and gain rewards. Of the 2,200 workers surveyed, gardeners and florists topped the list of happiest workers with almost nine in ten (87 percent) saying they were happy in their job. Eighty per cent said it was because they were able to manage their own workload and have autonomy over their schedule and daily tasks, whilst 82 percent agreed that being able to use and hone their skills every day helped to boost their job satisfaction.

Those who ranked lowest on the Career Happiness Index were bankers (just 44 percent are happy), IT and data processors (48 percent happy) and human resources employees (54 percent happy). Despite the presumption that these professions are often well-paid, these largely desk-based, high pressure jobs don't provide workers with fulfilment. Of bankers, just 44 percent claimed they were able to properly use their skills, less than half (45 percent) believed they were doing something worthwhile and valuable, and a meagre 34 percent said they could see scope for career progression. The findings are released to mark The Skills Show 2012, of which City & Guilds is Premier Sponsor. The Skills Show is the UK’s biggest skills and careers event which is taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 15 – 17 November. The event will give young people the chance to have a go at a variety of different skills, and help them to choose the most satisfying career path for them – something that is hugely important given that the research shows over a fifth (21 percent) of 18-34 year olds do not feel they have the opportunity to use their skills every day.

Overall, the Career Happiness Index shows that people in vocationally trained and skills-based jobs, such as hairdressers, gardeners, plumbers and electricians, were happiest – 65 percent compared to 58 percent of those in largely academically trained, office-based jobs. Learning a trade from the beginning and working your way up also has a positive impact on levels of pride, with 68 percent of those in vocationally trained jobs saying they were proud of their work, compared to 62 percent of those in academically-trained jobs. The report also looks at employment status and personal circumstances in order to understand how these can affect a person's well-being and satisfaction levels at work. Highlights include: Self-employed people are overwhelmingly happier at work (85 percent). More than four in five (83 percent) of self-employed people claim they enjoy having a flexible work life and 91 percent said they like having control over their daily duties. Only a little over half (54 percent) of those in full-time employment felt their working conditions were flexible and the same proportion felt they were appreciated for their work. Money doesn’t lead to happiness – those earning over £60k are the unhappiest (22 percent).

Older people (those aged fifty-six and above) are slightly happier by 7 percent (65 percent compared to 59 percent of those aged 46-55).

Nick Bradley, Group Director at City & Guilds comments: “At a time when both happiness and employment are high on the Government agenda, we wanted to link the two areas and look into what affects levels of happiness at work and in life. Most people spend half of their time working, so we wanted to find out what makes people happy at work and how that differs by job role. It’s particularly interesting to see that those who have taken the vocational route are happiest and feel the most pride in their work; there's certainly something to be said from learning specific skills and working your way up the career ladder.

“That’s why we’re Premier Sponsor of The Skills Show 2012 – we want to inspire young people to recognise the opportunities available to them through vocational education, whilst highlighting our commitment to driving the skills agenda in Britain. Having a happy and motivated workforce is essential to boosting productivity and the recovery of the UK economy.”

Ross Maloney, Chief Executive of The Skills Show said: “With up to 100,000 young people expected to visit The Skills Show, it’s clear that young Britons are keen to embrace all the learning and development opportunities open to them. The show provides the perfect forum for the talented young professionals of tomorrow to learn about and develop their own skills, as well as demonstrating their abilities to visitors and potential employers. We are looking forward to inspiring the next generation and setting them on a path to successful, rewarding and happy careers.” City & Guilds is supporting The Skills Show 2012 – an annual event to showcase and celebrate skilled professions. The event aims to enable young people to recognise opportunities, inspire them to develop the skills they need to succeed, and help them shape their tomorrow. With up to 100,000 young people expected to visit The Skills Show in November, it is vital that young Britons understand the importance of embracing the learning and development opportunities available to them. The Career Happiness Index 2012 provides useful insights to show the next generation how they can be happy in the workplace and make informed decisions to choose a career path that will be challenging and rewarding.

List of careers listed in order of happiness