These Are the ‘Loneliest’ Jobs in the U.S., According to a New Report

Remote work isn’t necessarily the root cause.

By Amanda Breen edited by Jessica Thomas Feb 26, 2024

Key Takeaways

  • More than four in 10 workers say they feel “very” or “somewhat” lonely at work.
  • A Harvard study revealed that the jobs that people feel most unhappy in were also among the loneliest jobs.
  • “Task associates,” who are responsible for stocking merchandise in stores, have the loneliest job, per the report.

More than four in 10 workers feel “very” or “somewhat” lonely at work, according to a recent report from employee listening and manager effectiveness platform Perceptyx.

But remote work, which more than tripled in the wake of the pandemic from 2019 to 2021, isn’t necessarily the culprit.

In fact, research suggests that employees who have the opportunity to work remotely are more likely to feel happy and productive in their roles, and a Harvard study revealed that the jobs that people feel most unhappy in were also among the loneliest jobs.

Related: 3 Ways to Avoid the Loneliness of Working Remotely

Naturally, positions that call for a lot of independent work and little collaboration have the potential to be some of the loneliest. So, which jobs in the U.S. fall into that category?

Game network Solitaired dug into data from more than 750,000 postings on job site Indeed to find out which job titles and industries are the loneliest on average.

And No. 1 most lonely on the list? That would be “task associates,” who are responsible for stocking merchandise in stores.

Related: Feel Awkward? Struggle to Make Friends? This Founder Wants to Fix Your Social Anxiety.

These are the top 20 loneliest jobs in the U.S., according to Solitaired’s findings:

Image Credit: Courtesy of Solitaired

Key Takeaways

  • More than four in 10 workers say they feel “very” or “somewhat” lonely at work.
  • A Harvard study revealed that the jobs that people feel most unhappy in were also among the loneliest jobs.
  • “Task associates,” who are responsible for stocking merchandise in stores, have the loneliest job, per the report.

More than four in 10 workers feel “very” or “somewhat” lonely at work, according to a recent report from employee listening and manager effectiveness platform Perceptyx.

But remote work, which more than tripled in the wake of the pandemic from 2019 to 2021, isn’t necessarily the culprit.

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Amanda Breen

Senior Features Writer at Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Staff
Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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