Job security affects everything from career decisions to financial planning, yet workers don’t experience it equally.
Zety, a leading resume builder, released its 2026 Job Security Index, evaluating Job Security Scores from millions of employee-reported reviews and worker sentiment metrics. The scores shed light on how secure workers feel in their own jobs, but they don’t explain what drives those perceptions.
To better understand what distinguishes the highest- and lowest-rated occupations, Zety grouped each one into 50 standardized job categories and cross-referenced with O*NET data. The analysis identified recurring workplace and job characteristics associated with higher and lower Job Security Scores.
Key Findings
- On a five-point scale, average job security scores ranged from 3.89 to 2.25.
- Occupations with higher and lower Job Security Scores showed distinct differences in their cognitive demands, physical demands, technology use.
- All of the highest-rated occupations fall within O*NET Job Zones 4 or 5, which generally require more education, experience, and/or training.
- On the other hand, nearly all of the bottom 10 occupations fall within Job Zones 2 or 3, where preparation requirements are typically lower.
Understanding the Rankings
The Average Job Security Scores in this study are based on Zety’s proprietary data, which aggregates millions of employee-reported ratings from major employment and workplace review platforms.
To standardize the analysis, similar job titles were grouped and matched to their corresponding O*NET occupations. Each occupation was then compared across several O*NET categories, including Essential Skills, Abilities, Knowledge, Work Activities, Work Styles, and Job Zone.
The results show notable differences in the types of work, preparation, and workplace characteristics represented among the highest- and lowest-rated occupations.
Top 10 Occupations for Job Security
Human Resource Managers top the list with a Job Security Score of 3.89, and the occupations that follow it share several defining characteristics. These jobs are more likely to involve interpreting information, applying specialized knowledge, using digital tools, and making informed decisions. Rank
| Occupation | Average Job Security Score | O*NET Job Zone* | |
| 1 | Human Resource Managers | 3.89 | 5 |
| 2 | Postsecondary Teaching Assistants | 3.73 | 5 |
| 3 | Data Engineers and Database Architects | 3.71 | 4 |
| 4 | Business Intelligence and Data Analysts | 3.65 | 4 |
| 5 | Data Scientists | 3.65 | 5 |
| 6 | Management Analysts and Consultants | 3.59 | 4 |
| 7 | Software Developers | 3.58 | 4 |
| 8 | Financial and Investment Analysts | 3.55 | 4 |
| 9 | Human Resource Specialists | 3.50 | 4 |
| 10 | Accountants and Auditors | 3.48 | 4 |
*Job Zones classify occupations based on the level of education, experience, and training typically required to perform the job.
- Problem-solving is a common thread. Occupations consistently involve critical thinking, analyzing information, and evaluating solutions.
- Technology is central to the work. Computer use is a top characteristic found across many of the top-ranked occupations, even outside traditional tech roles.
- Continuous learning is crucial. Workers are expected to regularly build new skills to keep pace with changing tools, regulations, and best practices.
- Preparation is consistently high. Every occupation in the top 10 falls within O*NET Job Zones 4 or 5.
Bottom 10 Occupations for Job Security
Where the top 10 occupations are defined by analysis and expertise, the bottom 10 are defined by physical presence. They also tended to require less formal preparation and were more likely to center on execution rather than problem-solving. Rank
| Occupation | Average Job Security Score | O*NET Job Zone | |
| 1 | Mental Health Counselors | 2.25 | 5 |
| 2 | Light Truck and Delivery Drivers | 2.57 | 2 |
| 3 | Security Guards | 2.66 | 2 |
| 4 | Warehouse and Material-Moving Workers | 2.76 | 2 |
| 5 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 2.77 | 2 |
| 6 | General Maintenance and Repair Workers | 2.80 | 3 |
| 7 | Bartenders | 2.83 | 2 |
| 8 | Retail Salespersons | 2.83 | 2 |
| 9 | Restaurant Cooks | 2.86 | 2 |
| 10 | Baristas and Counter-Service Workers | 2.86 | 2 |
- Most work is done on-site. These roles are closely tied to physical workplaces, equipment, vehicles, or customer-facing environments.
- Preparation requirements are generally lower. Nine of the 10 occupations fall within Job Zones 2 or 3.
- Physical work stands out. Stamina, strength, coordination, balance, and general physical activity are common characteristics across the lowest-rated occupations.
- Routine execution is more common. Compared to the top-ranked occupations, these jobs rely less on analyzing information and more on carrying out established tasks.
What Shapes Employee Perceptions of Job Security?
The clearest differences in the data were associated with the nature of the work itself, more than the industry it falls under. Employees feel most secure in roles involving analysis, technology, and specialized expertise, and least secure in roles involving physical labor, routine tasks, and location-dependent duties.
Preparation plays a role, too: nine of the bottom 10 occupations fall within O*NET Job Zones 2 or 3, compared to none of the top 10. But it isn’t the whole story. Mental Health Counselors stand out as the notable exception. Despite requiring graduate-level education and falling within Job Zone 5, they received the lowest Job Security Score in the study, suggesting that employee perceptions of security are influenced by more than education requirements alone.
“Job security is often discussed in terms of economic conditions or hiring trends, but employees also experience it through the realities of their own work,” said Jasmine Escalera, career expert at Zety. “While education and training matter, they don’t produce the same sense of security across every occupation. The skills employees rely on, the decisions they make, and the way they contribute each day all influence how secure a role feels.” For detailed insights on the 2026 Job Security Index, access the full study at https://zety.com/blog/2026-job-security-index.
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Tags: careers, job market, jobs, Payroll, secure jobs
