Remote jobs aren’t the only ones that can cause loneliness. Many positions in America call for independent work, keeping collaboration to a minimum and creating some of the loneliest job in the country.

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A new study is breaking down what job titles and industries are the loneliest on average by collecting data from more than 750,000 Indeed job postings.

Key findings:

  • Task associates, who stock merchandise at stores, have the loneliest job in America.
  • Paralegals, attorneys, and analysts have some of the highest loneliness scores.
  • Jobs in government, law, public safety, corrections, and environment industries are among the loneliest.
  • Out of the top 20 loneliest jobs, 5 are senior-level positions, which may mean some career fields get lonelier the higher you climb the ladder.
  • People working military jobs are the least likely to be lonely.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around the world welcomed a shift to remote and hybrid working. The ability to work outside of the office allowed people to feel a sense of freedom, but the pandemic also led to an increase in loneliness. In fact, many of these people came to Solitaired to play their games.

According to a National Library of Medicine study, respondents reported feeling lonelier after the pandemic than before it. So as these feelings remain even now, years after the initial outbreak, the once-beloved concept of working independently of a team can also be a source of loneliness. 

Since remote work isn’t the only job with the potential for loneliness, our team set out to discover other careers, even ones that existed before COVID-19, that share this same potential for loneliness. With this in mind, analysts collected data from more than 750,000 job postings on Indeed to determine which job titles and industries are the loneliest on average. Whether you are a pro at working solo or you enjoy a team environment, read on to learn which career fields are best suited for you.

The 25 loneliest jobs