Recession Proof Jobs

I'm sure most have you have been hearing the horror stories about the unemployment rate. It's hard to avoid as it's seemingly been the lead story on every evening newscast for the past few weeks. These guys are throwing up some incredibly frightening numbers. Ten percent of Americans are projected to be out of work by next year. Yikes!

Similarly, there has been plenty of ink devoted to the concept of which jobs are recession proof and which are not. When you start comparing the lists from publication to publication, you'll see some similarities and some glaring contradictions. However, the overall theme of the lists is perfectly clear -- a recession proof job is one that sells services or goods that people need. Luxuries they can do without.

That's why health care workers appear on just about every list. People will spend money on their health. However, within that group there are jobs that are not safe because they are still luxuries. Adults, for instance, will forgo dental care in lieu of their children. Plastic surgery is similarly something that will begin to falter as the bad economy trickles up to the rich and famous.

Auto repair can similarly score pretty high on the list because people can't earn a living if they can't get to work. Grocery stores are seeing an uptick in business as more people abandon restaurants to save a few bucks by eating at home. As more and more people face unemployment, job recruiters are being asked to work overtime.

If you're one of those people spending an entire day online browsing the job boards, and you want to shore up your employment for what could be the next year and a half of dismal economic times, examine the roots of the job and ask this question: Is this selling something people need, or is it something they can live without?