Working under pressure

Economic slowdown is adding to the stress feel in people's jobs

Manufacturing is the most stressful work, according to the findings of a survey conducted by the Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Hospital Association and People's Daily.

The survey, officially titled the Third China Urban Health Status, found that manufacturing was the most stressful work, with finance, education, the media, law, information technology, transportation, advertising, marketing and real estate making up the rest of the top 10 most stressful industries to work in. The survey was carried out over four months in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Hebei, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces and Shanghai and Beijing. They combined the answers from the 129,093 questionnaires that were returned to them with the medical data from 3 million cases nationwide provided by the healthcare service company Ciming Checkup.

While the stress for manufacturing workers used to be mostly physical, times have changed.

"Manufacturing work has become more stressful now, because it requires technical skills and a good processing mind," said Cai Jia, a researcher at CIConsulting in Shenzhen. "It's no surprise such work tops the stress list."

With the gradual deepening of the country's economic restructuring and the increasingly fierce competition among enterprises, the stress for manufacturing workers is now mental as well as physical.

"Manufacturing workers now need to undergo an apprenticeship of three to five years and then pass a final exam. And although they will be paid double wages if working overtime, they now face stricter manufacturing and safety standards. Besides, they must be trained to understand industrial designs," said Cai.

As the top-paying industry, finance has always been an attractive profession.

The financial sector once again topped CEIBS - BRIDGE HR Salary Index last year, with the average salary 509,095 yuan ($81,402). Some investment bankers and equity fund managers can earn more than a million.

But the high returns are high-risk for some.

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