Boredom index puts HR just behind accountancy as exciting graduate career option

HR is one of the least boring professions graduates can choose as a career, a survey suggests.

The first Workforce Boredom Index – produced by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) – found that workers in HR were marginally more bored than accountants, but administrative and secretarial staff were the most fed up. Also bored with their jobs were manufacturing and sales employees, ranked second and third on the index.

Teachers and healthcare workers were the least bored at work.

The TDA surveyed more than 2,000 graduates aged 21 to 45, finding more than half were regularly bored at work.

When asked why they found their job interesting, 81% of teachers questioned said it was the challenge of the role and the same proportion said it was because “no two days were the same”.

Graduates working in HR, accountancy and hospitality were next lowest on the boredom scale.

Employees surveyed said they were mainly bored because of the lack of challenge in their jobs (61%).

Half of those employees who said they were bored had considered changing profession in the past year.

Boredom ratings (10 = most boring)

1. 
   
   Admin/secretarial (10)


2. 
   
   Manufacturing (8.1)


3. 
   
   Sales (7.8)


4. 
   
   Marketing/advertising (7.7)


5. 
   
   IT/telecommunications (7.5)


6. 
   
   Science research (7.3)


7. 
   
   Media (7.1)


8. 
   
   Law (6.9)


9. 
   
   Engineering (6.9)


10. 
    
    Banking/finance (6.6)


11. 
    
    HR (6.6)


12. 
    
    Accountancy (6.3)


13. 
    
    Hospitality/travel (5.3)


14. 
    
    Healthcare (5.1)


15. 
    
    Teaching (4)