A new study has analysed where the coldest jobs in the world are, the average temperatures work is conducted in, the cost of renting in these places and of course the question on everyone’s lips; the average pay packet*.
You’d like to think that working in below-freezing conditions would lend itself to a chunky salary, but the study reveals that this might not be the case. Below are the jobs with the highest and lowest percent differences between national average salaries for the same role.
Top three jobs with salaries higher than the national average:
- Fuel/Hazmat Specialist in Barrow, Alaska, USA – Working in an average temperature of -26°C, these specialists earn $68,904 for a 40 hour week, a considerable 49.65 per cent more than others in the country.
- Truck Driver in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Truck Drivers here earn on average $63,700 for a 61.25 hour week and work in -16°C temperatures. They receive a salary 45.05 per cent higher than the same job in the area.
- Package Delivery Driver in Fraser, Colorado, USA – Earning $39,672, these drivers work in -10°C temperatures and receive a pay packet 29.74 per cent higher than the same job in the area.
Bottom three jobs with salaries lower than the national average:
- Engine Installation Engineer in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China – Unfortunately for these Engineers, they work in -26°C temperatures for $17,403 – a huge -79.75 per cent lower than those with the same career in the country.
- Mining Officer in Fort Selkirk, Yukon, Canada – Working in an average temperature of -27°C, these officers earn $50,000 for a 37.5 hour week, that’s -26.17per cent less than the average salary for that role in Canada.
- Airport Terminal Worker in Upernavik, Greenland – These Airport workers earn on average $24,960 in -17°C temperatures; -15.38 per cent lower than others in the country.
The Five Coldest Jobs on the List
According to experts, frostbite can occur on skin exposed to temperatures of -28°C and below in just 30 minutes or less; meaning these jobs can sometimes be dangerously cold. So, how does the salary range between the coldest jobs? Surprisingly, the coldest career on the list isn’t the best paid; this instead falls with the Fuel/Hazmat Specialists in Barrow, Alaska who earn $11,796 more in 13 degrees warmer conditions. Unfortunately for Engine Installation Engineers in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, they earn $51,501 less than the Fuel/Hazmat Specialists in Barrow, Alaska who work in the same temperature of -26°C.
- Chief Technologist – Gold Mining Verkhoyansk and Yakutsk, Russia $57,108 -39
- Mining Officer Fort Selkirk, Yukon, Canada $50,000 -27
- Engine Installation Engineer Harbin, Heilongjiang, China $17,403 -26
- Fuel/Hazmat Specialist Barrow, Alaska, USA $68,904 -26
- Mill Helper Snag, Yukon, Canada $21,490 -24.5
Cost of Living in the Cold
Not only are these individuals working in below-freezing temperatures, but they’re also living there too – so how much of their salaries should the expect to be spending on renting and which jobs are being left with the biggest bumps to their bank accounts?
The study reveals that Package Delivery Drivers in Fraser, Colorado, USA spend the highest percentage of their salary on renting, a total of 43.86 per cent on average. Although Ski Instructors work seasonally, they also have to allocate one of the highest percentages of their income to rent. Ski Instructors use on average 38.69 per cent of their salaries on renting. Mill Helpers working in temperatures of -24.5°C in Snag, Yukon, Canada can expect to be spending on average $687.03 on renting, equivalent to 38.36 per cent of their salary.
- Study commissioned by Crystal Ski Holidays,
Aphrodite is a creative writer and editor specialising in publishing and communications. She is passionate about undertaking projects in diverse sectors. She has written and edited copy for media as varied as social enterprise, art, fashion and education. She is at her most happy owning a project from its very conception, focusing on the client and project research in the first instance, and working closely with CEOs and Directors throughout the consultation process. Much of her work has focused on rebranding; messaging and tone of voice is one of her expertise, as is a distinctively unique writing style in my most of her creative projects. Her work is always driven by the versatility of language to galvanise image and to change perception, as it is by inspiring and being inspired by the wondrous diversity of people with whom paths she crosses cross!
Aphrodite has had a variety of high profile industry clients as a freelancer, and previously worked for a number of years as an Editor and Journalist for Prospects.ac.uk.
Aphrodite is also a professional painter.
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