Get All Access for $5/mo

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

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
Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

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.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This Former Starbucks Employee Started a Side Hustle That's Making More Than $70,000 a Month — and He's Not Done Yet

When Tom Saar moved to New York City, he spotted a lucrative business opportunity.

Business News

Is One Company to Blame for Soaring Rental Prices in the U.S.?

The FBI recently raided a major corporate landlord while investigating a rent price-fixing scheme. Here's what we know.

Business News

Amazon Has a Blank Book Problem: Buyers Report Receiving Fakes of Bestselling UFO Book

The book looked fine on the outside, but the inside was out-of-this-world.

Business News

Paramount Leadership Alludes to Layoffs If Merger Does Not Go Through

Paramount is awaiting approval on its merger with Skydance Media from majority shareholder Shari Redstone.

Business News

Microsoft Reportedly Lays Off Over 1,500 Employees in Cloud Sector as Partnership with OpenAI Strengthens

Alphabet also reportedly laid off employees from several teams in Google's cloud unit last week.

Marketing

6 SEO Tips to Help You Rank in the New Era of Quality Content

What is the best SEO strategy after Google's March 2024 core update? Here's what you need to know.