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Stuart Gentle Publisher at Onrec

Revealed: The 10 least and most trusted professions in the UK

There's plenty of ways to make a living, but not all of them will make you popular. In fact, a survey taken by CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, reveals the professions which Brits rate as the least trustworthy, with politicians (78.1%), journalists (37.7%) and car salesmen (27.4%) making the top three.

The survey of 1,200 UK workers reveals that these professionals are considered untrustworthy due to their lack of morals (66.4%), greed for money (62.1%), unreliability (56.5%) and irritating nature (26.6%). The list is as follows:  

  • Politicians (78.1%) 
  • Journalists (37.7%)
  • Car salesmen (27.4%)
  • Telesales (23.6%)
  • Bankers (22.8%)
  • Paparazzi (21.6%)
  • Estate agents (14.6%)
  • Recruiters (13.6%)
  • Lawyer (8.7%)
  • Bailiffs (6.7%)

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments on the findings: 

“What with the Brexit debacle still looming over the country, it’s little wonder that Brits aren’t inclined to trust politicians right now. Still, it’s astonishing to see that such a large quantity of us feel so negatively about the country’s leaders, as we’re supposed to trust them to represent us. 

“It also appears to be a common theme that sales-driven occupations, such as car sales, telesales, estate agents and recruiters are largely disliked. Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of the trade. Being proactive in making sales can be perceived as being pushy, or irritating. However, without these professions, many businesses wouldn’t be able to flourish.” 

The survey from CV-Library also sought to find out the most trusted professions in the UK. It appears jobs that contribute to the public good, such as health or education-related professions, are the most trustworthy. 

Largely, trust is associated with the professionals that have our best interests at heart (73.4%), are in their job for a good cause (71%), are reliable (64.5%) and friendly (16.2%). The list is as follows: 

  • Doctor (61.3%)
  • Nurse (40%)
  • Teacher (36.9%)
  • Paramedic (36.5%)
  • Police (23.2%)
  • Armed forces (20.8%)
  • Vet (16%)
  • Scientist (14.3%)
  • Judge (13.2%)
  • Hairdresser (8.4%)

Biggins concludes: “It's fantastic to see that healthcare professionals have been recognised for the excellent job that they do day in and day out. We’re extremely lucky in the UK to have such a reliable healthcare system where experts aren’t motivated by making a profit, as in some other countries. It just goes to show what an excellent job the NHS is doing. 

“Likewise, we put a large amount of trust in teachers to educate ourselves and our children. It’s just a shame that these services which contribute so much to the public good are having to fight against cuts to their funding. Will we be able to trust these professionals if they’re not fully equipped to do their jobs properly?” 


CV-Library is one of the UK’s largest online job sites and attracts over 4.3 million unique job seekers every month. Founded by Lee Biggins in 2000, CV-Library is the UK’s leading independent online job board with a database of over 13 million CVs.

www.cv-library.co.uk