Median salary: $38,500.80
5-yr. salary growth: -3%
5-yr growth in employees (2006-2012): -45.39%
Total employees (2012): 7,700
Example job types: rubber goods assembler, foam rubber mixer, padded products repairer
Employed by: tire manufacturers and other rubber products manufacturing companies
Work in this sector touches several industries, including rubber, plastics and auto parts manufacture. With the economic recession, markets have suffered and so available work has declined. Unfortunately, salary growth is down; in fact, among the 10 worst jobs, this category is the only one to record a decline in that metric.