Something for the weekend: Despite having a salary well below the national average, the role of vineyard worker has proven most popular among prospective UK employees, according to job listing website Adzuna.
The research, which measured the most viewed job titles across the approximately 1.1 million listings that were live on Adzuna’s site between January and May 2019, also found that the average salary for vineyard employees was £15,360. Adzuna’s monthly Job market report, most recently published in May 2019, found that the average salary in the UK is £35,773.
Relatively few of the 20 most popular jobs surpassed the average UK salary; however, at the top end in terms of wages are crane crew supervisor (£37,972) and private chauffeur (£37,500).
Working with animals has proven pup-ular among UK job-seekers, with animal handler (£16,222) and kennel supervisor (£17,280) taking the third and fourth places. This may reflect the same trend that has seen a number of employers open their offices to staff members’ furry friends in a bid to improve wellbeing.
The list also seems to show the appeal of working outdoors, with jobs such as fruit and vegetable picker and forest worker making the top 20. This suggests that the appeal of working on a vineyard might not just be to do with having easy access to wine, but also reaping the benefits of an active, outdoor lifestyle.
This is arguably a move away from the priorities shown in May 2018, when the top jobs included fashion model, ambulance driver and non-executive director.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “Workers are rejecting the traditional nine-to-five office job to search for something more fulfilling. The list of the most clicked-on roles in the UK reveals three key trends that make a job desirable: working with animals, active outdoors positions, and practical craftsmanship. The nation is nostalgic for the good life, and workers are prioritising wellbeing over cold hard cash.
“Not everybody can work on a vineyard or as an animal handler, but employers can sprinkle some mood-boosting magic into more commonplace roles. Pet-friendly offices, bring-your-dog-to-work days and flexible working arrangements are three tried-and-tested examples.
“With wellbeing in the spotlight, offering top perks will become an even more important part of the recruitment process.”
Here at Employee Benefits, we can see the appeal of working outdoors, gaining the advantage of being close to nature, and indeed, close to wine. However, if we were to swap our current roles for jobs as vineyard workers in the UK, we would need the weather to improve quite a bit…