WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Models are paid millions to twirl in the latest bra and panty set. Right? Nope -- not unless they are one of an extremely small (and beautiful) handful of young women.

Last year, models made a median hourly wage of $11.22, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bit less than twice the minimum wage of $5.85. Not so glamorous.

"Most models take other jobs. They're waiters. It gives them the flexibility to go to model calls and auditions," said Ean Williams, executive director of DC Fashion Week, a designer showcase held twice a year in the nation's capital. "There are a lot of people that are very beautiful, very talented, that don't make it in the business."

The young and beautiful aren't the only ones working like dogs and earning peanuts. In fact, models, demonstrators and product promoters rank No. 8 on a new list of the 10 worst jobs in America.

Who gets the shortest end of the stick? Coffee shop hosts and cafeteria counter attendants, according to a report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts.

Eighty-seven percent of restaurant-host and counter-attendant jobs were categorized as "bad," meaning they paid less than the median wage in 1979, adjusted for inflation, and had neither employer-sponsored health insurance nor a retirement plan. That translates to a wage today of $16.50 an hour or $34,320 per year for a full-time, full-year worker, according to the report.

About 79% of jobs in the models, demonstrators, and product promoters category are bad, according to the report, which covers 2003 through 2005 using Census Bureau data.

John Schmitt, a senior economist with CEPR, said the categories heavily composed of bad jobs haven't improved in recent years.

"The composition is basically the same. It's not like suddenly it's a different world for people," he said.

In 2005, almost one-third of American workers had a job that met all three bad criteria, about the same share as in 1979, according to the report.

"Even worse, despite substantial economic growth since the end of the 1970s, the share of bad jobs in the U.S. economy has remained essentially unchanged for over a quarter century," according to the report.

Quite a few of the bad job categories are those that might typically be considered summer jobs for teenagers or students trying to save for a car or help pay for school. Many are in the service industry, with categories such as tour guides, ticket takers and dishwashers making it into the top 10 bad occupational categories. Jobs typically found in food service took four of the 10 spots.

Getting dished on

Joseph, a 22-year-old host at a restaurant popular for lunch near the White House who asked that his last name not be used, said his job, which pays his rent, also makes it easier to take classes as night. However, mornings at the restaurant can be rough, he said.

"I find myself waking up in the morning with melancholy -- the malaise of doing the same job over and over," he said, adding that dealing with people at their "worst," i.e. making rude demands, can lead to anger and depression.

Joseph receives an hourly wage but no benefits, and there's no tips pool of which he can take a cut. The host added that the waiters, who have to deal with the kitchen staff, diners and the boss, have it even worse.

Darrell Luzzo, president of National Career Development Association, said even people in jobs that pay well and provide benefits can have extreme dissatisfaction. A good career is one that matches your interests on top of providing adequate financial compensation, he said.

"There is a very weak link between the amount of earnings and benefits and true job satisfaction," Luzzo said.

He added that people with jobs that don't provide enough to meet a basic level of need should try to move on. Federal job-training programs can help workers gain skills to find better employment.

"If [a job] is not providing shelter, food or health, you can't exactly find purpose in work," Luzzo said.

The stresses of working at restaurants, especially, affect a substantial chunk of America: With 12.8 million estimated employees, the restaurant industry is the largest employer outside of the government, according to the National Restaurant Association. By 2017, the industry is expected to add 2 million jobs, according to NRA.

"The restaurant industry has been a jobs juggernaut in the economic expansion," said B. Hudson Riehle, NRA's senior vice president for research and information services. "The industry has become a national training ground."

'Bad' is in the eye of the beholder

James Sherk, a fellow in labor policy at the Heritage Foundation, said jobs such as waiting tables can be a good opportunity.

"A lot of people are working part-time and in school. The job gives the flexibility they need," he said. "Somebody who just graduated from high school isn't trying to support a family of four."

Sherk should know -- he worked as a lifeguard as a teenager.

"It was fun, it was good work to do. At the same time it doesn't shock me that I wasn't earning the equivalent of $30 an hour," he said.

Randy Miller, founder and chief executive of career counseling firm ReadyMinds, said bad jobs can be good training, especially if a worker wants to advance in a particular field.

"I wouldn't see anything wrong with being a host or hostess. You may work at a smaller restaurant, get the experience you need, and then go to a larger restaurant or hotel chain," he said. "It might be a very good starting point for someone young who has very high aspirations in that field."

Not just young workers that are hurting

Yet for each top bad occupation, most of the workers are above 20 years of age. For example, among wait staff, almost 17% are 16- to 19-years-old, 33% are between 20 and 24, and 50% are between 25 and 64, according to CEPR's Schmitt.

Lifeguards and other protective-service workers comprise the occupation category with the highest proportion of teenagers, reaching almost 48%.

"Teenagers are an important part of some of the occupations, but in no case are they the majority of workers in the occupation," Schmitt said. "In most cases, teenagers are only a fairly small share of total employment."

Women who have their first baby before 25, as well as parents and other workers between 20 and 25 years of age, could use employer-sponsored health insurance, he said. Yet few are receiving it.

"A substantial number of people in that age range have family responsibilities. So having health insurance is a big deal," Schmitt said.

He added that it's also important for young people to have a defined benefit or contribution plan: "We're constantly being reminded that people should start [retirement saving] when they start working."

Occupations with the highest concentrations of bad jobs