Key Takeaways:
- Dangerous jobs often come with higher risks to life and safety, yet they may not always be compensated adequately.
- Specialized skills are often required for dangerous jobs, warranting higher pay.
- Certain professions, like teaching, pose unexpected dangers and stressors, despite not being widely recognized as hazardous.
- Market forces play a significant role in determining wages, even for risky occupations.
Society relies on all types of work to remain functional and continue to grow, especially as new technology makes more advancements possible. While many jobs are somewhat normal and come with the typical risks of just existing as a human being, a lot of jobs are outright dangerous to varying degrees.
Usually, companies that require dangerous work offer higher pay to compensate for the high risk because it’s hard to find people willing to put their lives on the line just for standard pay. However, sometimes these jobs don’t pay as well as they should.
A dangerous job risks your life every day
First and foremost, when your job is a direct risk to your safety and life, it’s hard to put a price tag on that. Trying to value a dangerous job is like saying that your life is worth the amount of money you get each day, and if you get through the day unharmed and alive, that’s your compensation. When you put it that way, a day’s pay – even when hiked up with hazard pay – doesn’t seem like nearly enough.
However, companies know they can’t pay too much because it will put them over budget. They also know they can’t pay too little because dangerous work needs to get done and if the pay is too little, nobody will take the job. With pay slightly higher than average, there will always be people willing to take the risk. Although, it still doesn’t seem fair to risk your life for some of the low wages people are often paid.
Dangerous jobs require skill
When you think about dangerous jobs, like being a police officer or working in construction, you might think it’s something anyone can do as long as they’re willing to put their life on the line. In reality, dangerous jobs require specialized skills most of the time and that should automatically mandate higher pay.
For example, it takes good communication and conflict de-escalation skills to be an effective police officer. That doesn’t include basic firearms training and training to stay calm and shoot accurately under pressure.
In addition to needing specialized skills, police officers put their lives on the line every day, and yet they’re often paid as low as $42,520 per year, with the average yearly salary being $65,033. While that might seem somewhat high, compared to other skilled professions that aren’t dangerous, it’s really not. Plus, when you account for inflation, that’s not a salary one can easily live on. Some police officers earn closer to $100,000 per year, but depending on where they live and if they have a family, that still might not be enough.
Law enforcement officers take great risks in exchange for low pay and they also get a bad rap despite all the good they do for society. That’s why it’s important to support them. If you can’t do it directly, it helps to support organizations like The National Police Association (NPA) because they work tirelessly to support police and their communities where it matters most.
Some dangerous jobs aren’t seen as such
Despite some jobs being obviously risky, like construction, roofing, and firefighting, other dangerous jobs fly under the radar. For instance, you won’t hear many people talk about teaching being dangerous, but it’s actually quite risky these days.
According to one survey, 9% of teachers reported being threatened with injury by a student and 5% reported actually being physically attacked by a student. Those are frightening numbers, but it’s not just an anomaly.
Teachers also face other risks by being around so many students every day, like disease transmission and injuries from transportation accidents, equipment, and falling objects. On top of that, teachers are highly susceptible to stress, which can take a detrimental toll on physical health by causing sleep problems, high blood pressure, fatigue, chest pain, headaches, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and more. The average teacher salary was $66,397 in 2022, which is on par with the average salary of a police officer. Neither profession pays enough, but you would think police officers would get paid more.
Ultimately, the market decides wages
At the end of the day, no matter how dangerous a job is, the market determines wages. For-profit businesses have to stay competitive, and even when a job comes with the risk of injury or death, if they pay too much, they won’t be in business long. However, some companies do pay an acceptable premium for hazard pay. It just depends on the industry and how many people are willing to do the work.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Risk vs. Compensation | – Compensation for dangerous jobs often falls short of adequately addressing the risks involved. |
| – Hazard pay serves as a modest supplement but may not fully reflect the value of risking one’s life. | |
| Skill Requirement | – Dangerous professions demand specialized skills and extensive training beyond mere physical courage. |
| – Examples include conflict resolution for police officers and disease prevention for educators. | |
| Hidden Hazards | – Some professions, like teaching, harbor unexpected dangers such as threats and physical assaults from students. |
| – Daily rigors in teaching expose educators to various health risks, including stress-related ailments. | |
| Market Influence | – Wages for risky jobs are subject to market forces, with employers balancing budget constraints and competition. |
| – Market dynamics dictate the balance between risk and reward, often perpetuating the cycle of undercompensation. |
When most people are willing to work for lower wages, the job will generally pay less.