Three in four can’t tell the difference between Home Office jobs and science fiction. Chicken sexer anyone?

We’re used to wacky surveys coming into our inbox to promote a product you probably don’t need or want, but this one really caught our eye. Apparently three in four people can’t tell the difference between real jobs advertised by the Government and fictional jobs taken from science fiction films such as Mad Max, Hunger Games, Dune and Inception.

How do we know this? Because a study, commissioned by fishing oilskins manufacturer Stormline (nope I had no idea either, but apparently they are a New Zealand company who make high quality workwear for a number of industries), told us so.

And before you go thinking that these 1000 adults they asked must be away with the fairies then it’s worth having a look at the job titles. For example, as a chicken sexer you could earn yourself £40K a year while as a Shader Writer you get to take home a cool £30K a year. Or how about a sleep physiologist (£28K) or a Matte Painter (a mere £20K)?

Almost two of thirds of participants (62%) thought the role of Guild navigator, the dark blue, spice-addicted interstellar humanoids from David Lynch’s Dune, was a Home Office in-demand occupation.  And more than half (52%) thought the role of matte painter, a visual effects specialist with an average salary of more than £20,000, was sci-fi.

All jobs mentioned are apparently listed as ‘in high demand’ by the Home Office, with the exception of rock mechanics engineer and sleep physiologist, which are listed instead by the UK Visa Bureau.

The study found that:

• More than three quarters of participants were unable to correctly identify whether the job titles were real or fictional, getting at least one wrong.

• In total, almost 1 in 3 answers given were incorrect.

• Jobs in visual design were the most frequently believed to be science fiction.

• Roles portrayed in films including Her, Hunger Games and Mad Max were considered more plausible than actual jobs from the Government website.

• The most frequently misidentified job was shader writer. 66% believed this specialist visual effects role with a salary of almost £30,000 to be fictional.

Skills gap or science fiction – the jobs that caused the most confusion

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