The concept of the “best job” is subjective – surely it’s the job that you find most rewarding while still being able to pay your bills, whether that’s a job share, a freelance role, or no job at all.

At the same time, it’s definitely interesting to check out new research purporting to reveal the UK’s “best job” for 2022. Compiled by Glassdoor – a website where workers can anonymously review their employers – the list takes into account job satisfaction, average salary and the number of openings for each job.

Top of the list is java developer, a role that commands an average salary of £55K. It’s one of 11 jobs from the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) sector that make the top 25. Disappointingly, women remain woefully underrepresented in this sector, though research suggests that by 2030, 30% of STEM roles will be occupied by women.

Meanwhile, the highest paid job on the list is enterprise manager, which places second overall and commands an average salary of £74K. Glassdoor’s economist Lauren Thomas said the list is “reflective of the wider workplace trends we are currently seeing in the UK”.

“Employees want more hybrid working and a better work-life balance – areas which technology and STEM roles have historically excelled in,” Thomas added. “HR positions are also well represented on the list as the current tightness of the labour market has forced employers to rethink their investment in employee experience.”

Check out the top 25 below.

1. Java developer (£56k)
2. Enterprise architect (£74k)
3. Product manager (£61k)
4. Full stack engineer (47k)
5. Data scientist (49k)
6. HR manager (48k)
7. Corporate recruiter (46k)
8. HR business partner (50k)
9. Front end engineer (44k)
10. Marketing manager (47k)
11. UX designer (46k)
12. Mobile engineer (51k)
13. Sales manager (47k)
14. Operations manager (47k)
15. Data engineer (50k)
16. Devops engineer (54k)
17. Software engineer (50k)
18. Business development manager (47k)
19. Cloud engineer (60k)
20. Customer success manager (41k)
21. Program manager (61k)
22. Finance manager (58k)
23. Delivery manager (54k)
24. Consultant (46k)
25. Procurement agent (47k)

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?