Did Cupid approve this?

The economy is brutal. So is the dating scene. If your job screams boring, burnt-out or hustle-freak, be warned: Love is probably not hiring

- Kritika Kapoor

A decade ago, when surveys tried to determine which careers made for the least desirable partners, it was pretty easy to tell who'd make the list. No one wanted to date or marry a chef, an airline pilot or a flight attendant. Their hours were so erratic - when would you ever see them?

In 2025, like everything else, that list has been turned upside down. Every job demands long, ridiculous hours. Everyone's pivoting. So, there are new flavours of crazy in the mix. Among dating and matrimonial services, software engineers are no longer cool (Were they ever, guys?), the ring-light is fading on online influencers. If you're wondering why your Bumble likes have plateaued (and why no one's sent you a Raya invite yet), maybe it's not you, it's the field you're in. Is your job a red flag? Let's do a quick meeting in Conference Room B.

Hard pass

Ravi Mittal, founder of dating site Quack-Quack, says that people with high-pressure jobs (the ones that scream overtime and no flexibility) suggest emotional unavailability and fail to score with potential dates. So, sales and investment banking are filtered out fast. "Startup founders might get matches quickly," says Mittal. "But things fizzle out when the other person realises that the startup is still in its early stages." It's tough to date a person who's already tethered to their dream venture.

The constant layoffs in IT, and the industry's obsession with 70-hour work weeks means they've lost aura points in the dating world. There's growing resentment toward rigid 9-to-5ers too.