Job Seeker Blog - Spark Hire

The Jobs With the Longest Hours

Sometimes, work seems to last forever. You check your watch and it turns out you still have a couple of hours left before you can clock out. Time dragging at work happens to everyone, and sometimes we wish for a shorter work day. There are jobs that can be demanding when it comes to the amount of time you need to work. Despite the long hours these jobs have, people stick with them because ultimately it’s what they love to do and this makes the long hours go by fast. Take a look of these jobs compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by the International Business Times to see if your job made the cut.

Construction workers do everything from brick mason, installing drywall, oil and gas work, roofing and sheet metal work. Whatever the job may be, construction workers work on average 38.3 hours a week. The long hours demand a lot of hands-on labor as well. It’s not all too bad for construction workers though. They get to enjoy working out in the sun- no desk jockey job for these workers. Plus, most of the jobs don’t require a college degree, so high school graduates can launch themselves into a career in construction right off the bat.

Retail trade made the cut with an average of 31.4 hours a week. Retail jobs are the ones you’ll find at department stores and boutiques. Depending on what you like you can be working in a clothing, shoes, supermarket or home goods store. Retail sales workers make an average of $10.09 an hour and about one-third of the workforce works part-time making this a great second job- or a good start off job for high school students. If the average hourly wage seems a bit too low for you, then you may enjoy the perks that come with working at your favorite retail store such as the employee discount and special employee promotions.

Transportation jobs like truck driving keep goods moving and bring them to your local grocery store, retail store or restaurant. Truck drivers, like in other transportation jobs, spend long hours by themselves on the road with an average of 38.6 hours a week so you can expect to have a lot of time to yourself. It’s not all bad though. Truck driving is expected to grow by 21 percent over the next ten years which is faster than the national average for other jobs. With this job in high demand, you can expect to have a secure job for the years ahead.

Health service jobs made the list as well with an average of 32.9 hours a week. Health service careers, like those of a physician or nurse, demand long hours standing and attending to patients. The hours are also not the typical 9-5 hours. Expect to work at different times of the day since hospitals run 24/7. Don’t feel too bad for physicians though- they have one of the highest paying jobs earning an average of $166,400 a year. Health service jobs are also on the rise growing at a rate of 24 percent. The job pays well and it’s in demand- the long hours are just a small setback in the scope of things.

Do you have a job that requires long hours and love it? What made you choose that job? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Earls3a

Hanna Guerrero

Hannah is an intern writer here at Spark Hire. She is from the northern suburbs in Chicago and is currently studying journalism at DePaul University. She has always had a passion for writing which is why Journalism has proven to be the perfect career for her. She has written for the DePaulia Online on various topics such as fashion, music, movies and television. She loves living in Chicago because it offers exciting events to write stories on. In her free time she enjoys going to music concerts, watching movies with friends, cooking vegetarian food and walking her adorable Cocker Spaniel Coco.

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