# What job categories are the most recession-proof? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574 "2009-03-16T00:50:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/21 "2009-03-16T13:07:02Z")
Work for a tobacco company. People can’t quit, even harder in this environment. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/22 "2009-03-16T13:21:29Z")
I am a part time soldier (temporarily full time) and a police officer. Not recession proof but close. towns may tighten their belts and drop a few new hires but I have been around long enough that I will never be in danger of being laid off. I will be working harder because they are not filling positions that open due to retirements. My wife is a nurse and that profession seems to be doing ok too. She works mostly geriatrics. People are still getting old and need care. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/23 "2009-03-16T13:40:19Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I recently had some legal issues and based on the difficulty I had getting just getting a lawyer to discuss it with me tells me that they must be very busy. Employment lawyers do very, very well in bad economies. Happy employees rarely bother retaining attorneys for workers’ compensation claims and the like. Unhappy/fired/laid off employees are more than happy to. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/24 "2009-03-16T13:46:15Z")
Isn’t the funeral services industry pretty secure? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/25 "2009-03-16T14:42:12Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Isn’t the funeral services industry pretty secure? Short-term, yes. But once the baby boomers are all buried, I’d imagine business is going to die off. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/26 "2009-03-16T14:43:59Z")
> [@Millit\_the\_Frail](#): > > Hospital nursing is pretty good. Work in a hospital lab is pretty safe right now, too. As you said, people may be skipping a lot of elective stuff, but the very sick ones still end up at the hospital. As do the uninsured who drop into the ER for a rapid strep test because they can’t go to a doctor. Not sure how long we can keep up with it, though - from what some of my coworkers are saying (I’m not from this country and the healthcare system is still new to me, so if they’re lying please set me straight) if people come into the ER for treatment and they can’t pay, the hospital gets stuck with the bill. I know my hospital is starting to struggle a bit, and there’s a hiring freeze and a huge crackdown on overtime, meaning we’re working short-staffed a lot of the time. But at least we’re all still working. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/27 "2009-03-16T14:46:30Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Short-term, yes. But once the baby boomers are all buried, I’d imagine business is going to die off. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/28 "2009-03-16T15:03:02Z")
Corrections, and nursing. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/29 "2009-03-16T15:13:44Z")
Working for the government. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/30 "2009-03-17T06:54:49Z")
My brother’s a Firefighter. He never seems to sweat the economy stuff. Worst case for him, as his union rep., he has to tell the boys that there is no raise this year. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/31 "2009-03-17T07:09:42Z")
Thief, Crack-whore and Wal-Mart stocker. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/32 "2009-03-17T07:11:11Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > When people get laid off, they loose insurance. > [@Antigen](#): > > people may be skipping a lot of elective stuff I’ve heard the opposite. A lot of people see a layoff coming and use up the benefits as much as possible. They get everything done that they can imagine. Dentists are making a killing right now. It’s, of course, temporary. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/33 "2009-03-17T15:40:21Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Isn’t the funeral services industry pretty secure? Not at all. A lot more people are opting for cremation, and you can even buy caskets at Costco. Meanwhile funeral directors are stuck with the overhead of the traditional funeral home, all that embalming equipment, having someone available 24/7, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/34 "2009-03-17T15:42:43Z")
Primary care medicine is pretty good. While some folks defer going to the doctor due to costs, that just means we’re less overbooked. But many specialists who do elective procedures are getting much less busy. Even those covered by insurance may have a significant co-pay, leaving the patient to decide they really don’t need that hernia repaired or knee scoped just yet. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/35 "2009-03-17T16:05:31Z")
I know there have been lay-offs (we had them here), but I think that teaching is pretty recession-proof provided you either have a few years seniority or teach in a highly desirable field, like math or science. ---
**Author:** ![oboelady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8491ac/32.png) [@oboelady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oboelady)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/36 "2009-03-17T20:15:14Z")
Assuming it doesn’t blow up, I think my son is pretty secure working at a nuclear power plant. People are still using electricity. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/37 "2009-03-17T22:47:03Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Not at all. A lot more people are opting for cremation, and you can even buy caskets at Costco. Meanwhile funeral directors are stuck with the overhead of the traditional funeral home, all that embalming equipment, having someone available 24/7, etc. OK, it’s bad for traditional funeral homes, but crematory operators are doing great. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/38 "2009-03-18T00:08:05Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > HVAC - technician? Hah. I do support for Home Depot’s HVAC installation program, and they use Trane, which is one of the premiere brands out there. Companies are going bankrupt all over the nation. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/39 "2009-03-18T02:56:53Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I know there have been lay-offs (we had them here), but I think that teaching is pretty recession-proof provided you either have a few years seniority or teach in a highly desirable field, like math or science. There haven’t been lay-offs where I am, but I have heard of them in other places outside the UK and it’s possible that it might happen here too, for a couple of non-compulsory subjects. There is quite a lot of competition for primary school teaching jobs in some areas. Some people who’ve been laid off might turn to teaching as a safe job - but they wouldn’t get through the interviews and training year unless they were actually able to do it. However, I teach a compulsory subject at a boys’ comprehensive in a supposedly rough area of Inner London. I feel safe. Nursing is also safe. Individual jobs might go, but the job category is safe. I don’t suppose there’ll be many people lining up to train to be sewerage workers, either, and, like someone else said, people still have to flush. The emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) are secure as long as there are emergencies. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574/40 "2009-03-18T13:19:49Z")
I’m a nurse. I don’t anticipate being retrenched in the near future. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-categories-are-the-most-recession-proof/489574.md?page=3)