• Over 2,000 spooky jobs on offer in the UK, including openings for Bomb Disposal Technicians, Forensic Psychologists, Crime Scene Cleaners and Embalmers
• Epidemiologists pay tops £56k, but Funeral Directors make just £20k
• Over 1,000 openings for Phlebotomists – experts in drawing blood

Halloween lovers are in luck this autumn, with the 13 spookiest jobs in the UK hiring for over 2,000 staff, including openings for crime scene cleaners, slaughterers and bomb disposal technicians, according to new research from job search engine Adzuna. 

Adzuna analysed over 680,000 jobs available in October to reveal the spookiest hiring jobs this Halloween and what they pay. There are currently 1,055 openings for Phlebotomists, making this the top hiring Halloween job. Not for the squeamish, this role is for experts in drawing blood, with advertised salaries averaging £39,681.

The second top hiring Halloween job is for Hazardous Waste Technicians, with 242 openings on offer. Workers in this field must clear and dispose of dangerous waste, including potentially infectious bodily fluids and radioactive materials, and can expect average advertised salaries of £26,974 in return.

There are also hundreds of roles on offer for Prison Correction Officers (205 roles), Field Ecologists studying bat populations (129 roles), and Funeral Directors (109 roles). 

Disease specialists and Forensic Psychologists are best paid spooky jobs

Jobseekers trained in creepy subjects like disease outbreaks can expect to earn top dollar, according to the research. Epidemiologists, scientists who study infectious diseases like ebola, can expect average salaries of £56,624, with 74 jobs currently available. And roles for Forensic Psychologists, who used psychological training to profile criminals – like in the TV series Criminal Mind – pay an average of £47,143 (85 roles available). 

Meanwhile, roles for Coroners, charged with investigating sudden or unexplained deaths, advertise an average of £43,004 (55 roles). Those with Psychic abilities like telepathy or clairvoyance, or tarot card readers can command up to £13.80/hour. By comparison, average advertised salaries in the UK sat at just £36,436 in September 2020, according to the latest Adzuna Job Market Report.

Not all spooky jobs come with a big pay packet, however. Advertised salaries for Funeral Directors average just £20,061, Prison Correction Officers typically make £20,672, and animal Slaughterers just £24,520.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “Halloween lovers are in for a (trick or) treat this year, with over 2,000 creepy job openings on offer across the UK. If you’re a Silence of The Lambs fan and the idea of getting inside the mind of criminals makes your spine-tingle, a job as a Forensic Psychologist might appeal. Those with a steady nerve may wish to consider roles as Hazardous Waste Technicians or Bomb Disposal Experts. And science nuts could train as Epidemiologists or Field Ecologists – but be prepared for spooky subject matter!”

Table 1: 13 spooky jobs for halloween lovers and what they pay