Surely you've heard by now that accounting is a pretty popular job, that's not news. You know that unemployment is low in the profession and basically with an accounting degree and a pulse, just about anyone can get hired. You know that you're not really stuck in your miserable job if you really don't want to stay because there's a recruiter around every corner promising better money and more time to do the things you enjoy like not working and scrapbooking or whatever it is makes up the "life" in your work-life balance. Again, none of this is a surprise to anyone.
What might be a surprise is this article from TIME. Accountants come in #2 on the list of most in demand jobs but who could possibly be more in demand than accountants? Glad you asked! Try the grunts who stuff Amazon boxes and other manual laborers:
1. Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand: Basically this includes most manual labor outside the construction sector. This sector might include a worker in an Amazon fulfillment center or a someone who feeds materials into factory machines.
Since these jobs are some of the most common in America (there are more than 2 million people employed in such positions in the U.S.) it’s no surprise that they top the list. Unfortunately, these gigs don’t pay well, as the median laborer in this category made just $11.49 per hour in 2012.
Before you start writing your farewell email to live your dreams of ruling the Amazon fulfillment center, take a look at that salary, compared to median accountant pay of $30.55 per hour or $63,550 a year.
According to the BLS data, this includes auditors but God forbid a major publication recognize there is any difference between a bookkeeper, an auditor, and a CPA. Hey, let's add "walk into a bar…" to that list and we've got the start of an excellent joke.
