The Jobs Where Workers Spend the Most Time Sitting

The occupations at the top of the ranking have one major thing in common: sitting is closely connected to the tasks involved in doing the job.

For software developers and data entry keyers, computers are central to almost every aspect of the role. Financial managers and lawyers also spend significant amounts of time reviewing information, preparing documents, analyzing data and completing administrative tasks.

Customer service representatives and receptionists may interact with people throughout the day, but much of that interaction can still take place from a workstation using a computer or telephone.

Other occupations have very different physical demands.

Registered nurses, for example, combine patient care, walking, standing, documentation and other activities throughout their shifts. Their sitting rating of 47 is considerably lower than the occupations at the top of the ranking.

The data therefore suggests that workplace movement is closely tied to the nature of the occupation itself.

The analysis identified seven occupations with sitting ratings of 75 or higher:

• Software Developers - 100

• Data Entry Keyers - 100

• Financial Managers - 94

• Lawyers - 93

• Dental Hygienists - 81

• Receptionists & Information Clerks -81

• Customer Service Representatives - 78

Together, these occupations represent 39% of the 18 occupations profiled.

A further two occupations had sitting ratings between 50 and 74, placing them in the study’s moderate sitting category.

The contrast becomes even clearer when the sitting ratings are considered alongside O*NET's separate standing measure.

The figures show just how different the physical demands of jobs can be.

Software developers and data entry keyers had the highest sitting ratings, while construction labourers had the lowest sitting rating and a high standing rating.

Registered nurses were one of the closest to a balance between sitting and standing, with a sitting rating of 47 and a standing rating of 49.

The findings show that employees can experience very different working days depending on their occupation.

For highly desk-based roles such as software development, data entry, financial management, law, customer service and reception, sitting is closely linked to how the work is performed.

That does not mean sitting needs to be eliminated. Instead, workplaces can make it easier for employees to change position and move throughout the day.

Height-adjustable desks, ergonomic seating and flexible workstation setups give employees more choice in how they work and can help them stay comfortable as their tasks change.

At NAVO, we help businesses across the UAE create flexible, comfortable workspaces with ergonomic office furniture designed for modern workplaces.

For primarily computer-based roles, height-adjustable desks offer an easy way to switch between sitting and standing without changing workstations.

NAVO analyzed occupational data from O*NET OnLine, a public database of occupational information developed for the U.S. Department of Labor.

The study examined 20 occupations, with complete sitting and standing profiles available for 18 occupations included in the final analysis.

The analysis used ONET’s “Spend Time Sitting” Work Context descriptor, which measures how much an occupation typically requires sitting. ONET uses a 0–100 scale:

• 100 — Continually or almost continually

• 75 — More than half the time

• 50 — About half the time

• 25 — Less than half the time

• 0 — Never

The occupations were ranked from highest to lowest based on their sitting rating. NAVO also looked at O*NET’s “Spend Time Standing” descriptor to provide additional context about the physical nature of each occupation. This uses the same 0–100 scale.

How to interpret the data

These ratings describe occupational work context, rather than measuring the exact behaviour of individual workers.

For example, a sitting rating of 100 means O*NET places the occupation at the highest point of its sitting scale, described as “continually or almost continually.” It does not mean that every worker in that occupation sits for exactly 100% of their working day.

Sitting and standing are also independent measures. They should not be added together or treated as percentages that must equal 100.

The ratings are intended to show differences in the physical nature of different occupations, rather than describe the exact daily routine of every worker.

NAVO’s Sitting Categories

For this analysis, NAVO grouped occupations based on their O*NET sitting rating:

• High sitting: 75–100

• Moderate: 50–74

• Low: 25–49

• Minimal: 0–24

These categories were created by NAVO for this analysis only. They are not official O*NET classifications or medical risk categories.

O*NET’s Work Context data describes the physical and social factors that shape different types of work and is maintained as part of its ongoing occupational data collection programme.

Data was collected and analyzed in July 2026.

Full data and methodology:

NAVO Workplace Jobs Analysis — July 2026