What Is the Most Underpaid Job in the UK? The Harsh Truth No One Talks About

It’s not what you think – and that’s the problem

When I first asked my mate Jordan, “What do you reckon is the most underpaid job in the UK?”, he instantly said: “Retail. No question.” I nodded. That was my gut instinct too. But after digging deeper, looking at data, and honestly just listening to real people… I realised: we’ve been looking in the wrong direction.

The truth? There’s no single “most underpaid job” — but one role keeps coming up, again and again, with alarmingly low pay compared to the sheer importance of the work.

And yeah. It shocked me too.

The quiet backbone of society: care workers

The pay doesn't match the pain

Let’s be real: if you've ever known someone in social care, you’ve probably heard the stories. Long shifts. Emotionally draining days. Physically demanding work. And then you look at the payslip and it's like… wait, what?

The average care assistant in the UK earns just around £10.50 to £11.00 per hour. That’s barely above minimum wage. And this is for caring for the elderly, people with disabilities, dementia patients — basically, some of the most vulnerable people in society.

My cousin Ellie works in a care home. She told me about a 12-hour shift where one resident had a fall, another was having a panic attack, and by the end of the night, her back was killing her and she hadn’t even had a proper lunch break. For £88 before tax.

How is that even okay?

Why care jobs are so underpaid (and undervalued)

Society loves them in theory – just not in the budget

There’s this strange paradox: we all say “respect carers” but when it comes to money… it’s crickets. Why?

• Most care roles are publicly funded, and budgets are constantly being squeezed.

• It’s seen as “unskilled labour” — a total myth, by the way.

• It's largely female-dominated, and historically, those roles have been devalued.

• And worst of all? People just don’t see the work unless they’re personally affected.

I even made the mistake once of saying, “But it’s kind of a calling, right?” to Ellie. She gave me a look that said everything. “A calling doesn’t pay rent,” she replied.

Point taken.

Other seriously underpaid roles

Not just care – the list goes on

While care workers take the (sad) top spot in my opinion, they’re definitely not alone:

• Nursery workers: nurturing the next generation for peanuts.

• Teaching assistants: vital in classrooms, barely scraping by.

• Cleaners (especially in hospitals): exposed to biohazards for minimum wage.

• Delivery drivers (gig workers): often unpaid waiting time, no job security.

• Hospital porters: running everywhere, barely seen — and even less paid.

It’s like all the jobs that keep the country running get pushed to the bottom rung of the payscale. And that feels deeply broken.

Can anything change? Should we just accept it?

Honestly? I don’t know – but we can’t keep ignoring it

I’ve gone back and forth on this. Sometimes I think, “It is what it is, right?” But then I remember the exhausted face of Ellie after her double shift. Or the teaching assistant I met who buys her own classroom supplies. And I think: No. It doesn’t have to be like this.

There are whispers of policy change. Campaigns. Unions getting louder. But it’s slow. Painfully slow.

In the meantime, maybe what we can do is simple: tip better. Speak up. Vote smart. And most of all, stop pretending these jobs are “low skill” just because they’re low paid.

Final thought: if care workers stopped tomorrow, the country would collapse

Let’s be absolutely clear: if care assistants, cleaners, porters and early-years educators all quit tomorrow, this country would fall apart. Not in a week — in a day.

So yeah. Ask me again what the most underpaid job in the UK is?

Easy.

The ones we depend on the most — and thank the least.

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The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

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Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

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Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.