Actuary Ranked as Best Job for 2010

January 5, 2010 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Actuary ranks as the best job for 2010, based on research into 200 different positions in this year's CareerCast.com Jobs Rated report.

The Jobs Rated report seeks to compare careers across a multitude of industries, skill levels, and salary ranges using five key measurement criteria – stress, working environment, physical demands, income, and hiring outlook – and sorts them into lists of "best" jobs and "worst" jobs. Believe it or not, actuary ranked especially well in the analysis for its low physical demands and stress levels, finishing second and third, respectively, out of all 200 jobs.

However, it was actuary's consistently strong performance overall that helped the job rise to the top of the 2010 Jobs Rated list, offering the greatest chance of enjoying a combination of good health, low stress, a pleasant workplace, solid income, and strong growth potential, according to CareerCast.com. Actuary ranked no worse than tenth in any measurement category, except median income, where it finished 22nd, and even still, the job's average high-end income of $161,000 is eleventh among all surveyed jobs.

As for the rest of the "best" jobs list, math and science-related professions continue to rule, with software engineer ranking as the second-best job for 2010. The job rated well across all categories, finishing fifth for work environment and inside the top 30 for stress, income, and physical demands, but mostly stood out because it has the best hiring outlook of any available job in 2010 - with low unemployment compared to the national average and projected job growth of nearly 45% through 2016.

The Jobs Rated 10 best jobs for 2010 are:

1. Actuary
2. Software engineer
3. Computer systems analyst
4. Biologist
5. Historian
6. Mathematician
7. Paralegal assistant
8. Statistician
9. Accountant
10. Dental hygienist

More information, including each job's score for the five measurement criteria, can be found at http://www.careercast.com/jobs/jobsRated.

Rebecca Moore
editors@plansponsor.com