This thread just proves who on RS are the smart ones and who, like Gtrr33, who are the dumb ones

Union jobs are fairly safe, unless of course if the company goes out of business.

Computer IT jobs are not recession proof since EA laid off so many people. In fact, IT jobs are not as well paying/secure as they were 10 years ago.

Construction/reno jobs are really good when economic times are good, but now that we are in a recession, banks are not as willing to loan out money for "risky" projects.

Bodywork and mechanical jobs have pretty good demand, might not be 100% recession proof since some people may opt to do their own mechanical work, or avoid getting things done when money is short.

Accountants are not recession proof. In tough times, you lay off who you can and get the rest of the people to do more work.

Again, same with pharmacy and pharmacuticals. Doctors, dentist, and nurses on the other hand seem to be pretty recession proof.

Labour jobs like warehousing for food/produce can be pretty recession proof, as people still need to eat. But again, the company needs to be pretty strong and have money. Company's low in cash and cannot get any more credit may be in trouble.

Police, fire fighters, paramedics seem to be pretty recession proof, but again those jobs are union jobs.

Low end restaurant jobs like McD's or Walmart seem to be recession proof.

Well, being in the industry, it's not so much that accountants that are being laid off, but rather hiring is slowing down. It also depends on the industry, of course. In property management, most things are pretty stable. In hospitality things are going down the drain, so yeah, it's not so pretty there. Not everyone has the training to do accounting, so it's not like anyone can pick up the slack. They are specialized, afterall.

Accountants may be specialized, but if you have 4 accountants, you can lay off one and make the remaining 3 do a little more work.

But this really depends on the industry these accounts are working in.

Agreed agreed. +1 to the earlier mention for pharmacists. From what people are telling me, that is very much true. I suppose that,

A) people will always get sick, and
B) the market for pharmacists doesn't easily become saturated?

First of all, I dont think there are any recession proof jobs, with maybe some exception the careers that require a license and professional expertise. (doctors, pharmarcists, accountants, etc).

Secondly, are we talking about "recession-proof jobs" locally, domestically, nationally, or worldwide? I see references that people here make going all over the place. i.e. people mention about EA laying off many people, when other techs firms in the US are actually investing "MORE" in tech/engineering.

This is such an subjective topic that there is no right or wrong answer. All jobs can be recession proof. Sure, people get laid off, but that doesnt mean other opportunities do not exist.

Sure you hear about "risk management mangers/analysts/etc" about recession proof, especially during an economic crunch time, but did you know that maybe over half of the people getting laid off on wall street or from major investment firms are those so called risk analysts? Recession-proof? Not likely. Can they find another better opportunity, using the skills/experience they have already have? Probably.

Police workers/union workers are not recession proof. Did you know that many of the officers/government workers are being laid off because the states are cutting budget. Case in point, the firefighter/police officers are being laid off in philadelphia here!! why? because the stupid Mayer Nutter (yes, Nutter), is saying that we're going to have a $1B city/state deficit over the next 3 years, and that we have to shutdown 15+fire station/ladders. Oh, did I mention that they are now charging for "garbage disposal"!! Well, it is in the proposal now.


If you have the mentality that "people gotta eat, people gotta get sick, people gotta do this and that, so if I can get into a job that provides people that, then I am fine", well, I guess you'll probably be one of the people who are still undecided about your own future.

Instead of thinking and trying to come up with a career that is "recession-proof", you might want to just invest your time, money and effort in something that would increase your own value, whether it is in trade, in finance, in business, in medicine, in whichever career that you are interested in.

They key to be recession-proof does not necessarily lie in the "profession" you're in, but how "valuable" you are and what can you do to add value to the company you work for or your own company. If you are an valuable asset, you're pretty much recession-proof, whether its a warehouse worker with special knowledge/know-how/experience, or a world-class surgeon.

my 2 cents.

Insurance is a relatively recession proof but insurance companies wreck havoc upon themselves with the hard/soft markets. It is only recession proof if you currently hold a job within insurance as most companies are currently on hiring/wage freezes. You won't see layoffs but the trade-off is even in the best of times, you won't make a massive killing like the rest of the market. In essence, it's an industry that will continually chug along steadily.

I think most of us are speaking from a local standpoint, or at the very least in Canada.

At least, I know for certain that Police Officers in Canada have recession-proof jobs. I can't say the same for anywhere else though.

once we get past the recession and into a depression. it won't be what you can do for your company, but what you can do for your neighbor. nobody will have jobs or money. and everything will be traded.

this is where construction / reno and other trade skills come back in handy. repair / fix stuff on / in your neigbors house in exchange for things they can do. knit you a sweeter, give you food from their garden etc.

if you have no usefull life skills that can be traded, now is the time to start learning.

Good point there PNF... I didn't think the police or fire fighters were affected, but I guess they are too...

Come to think of it, the best way to be recession-proof is to be really good at your job, so that when they lay ppl off, you will be the one that they want to keep. Unless of course they shut down your entire industry or company or something.

In regards to Accounting, typical accounting may not be recession proof as discussed above.

However, designated accountants, CGA's/CA's are better off.

Many CA's go from "Mergers and Acquisition" when the economy is good to "Risk and Insolvency" when the economy is bad. And of course, they still have plenty of work to do.

For the most part with accounting, sure you can lay off a few on your team, but you can't lay off the majority of the company. Believe it or not, accounting is the core fundamentals of financial mangement in a company. Where are we spending the money on materials? where can we cut costs? what is our future budget going to be? - These questions are always there, in great economic boom and depression like era that we are going through.

Wow, thats pretty.. depressive, if there is such a word.

Hopefully we wont come to that.

CAs or most of other licensed/designated professionals (CAs, doctors, pharmacists, etc) are quite secure. They can get laid off too, but they can also find work that much quicker at the same time.

So, best advice - Invest in yourself and increase your own value, whether through school or daily effort to improve your own capability/experience.

I dont worry too much about my job, not that because it is secure, but because I know I add value to the company and if I do get laid off, I can always find another work and maybe for some other better opportunities that I might not ever have had I stayed at my current job. The same goes for everyone else here, I hope.

PNF's probably got the right frame of mind for everyone here.
that being said, worth and "fire"-proof is different, even you said that no job is secure. I tend to disagree, as no one really has thought about my suggestion - What about a Tenured Professor.

(note: i do know this is highly specialized, that being said lawyers/doctors are just as well.)

Quote from Wiki

And again - Doctors' i've never heard of them ever get fired or laid off. Canada is short staff as is with doctors.

mm I dunno anyone mention food industry?

^ What about the Food Industry?

I don't see anything secure about the Food Industry.

I would also like to mention that Security and Law Enforcement industry is still on the incline, and is quite recession-proof if you'd like to call it that. Not just police officers are safe, but most jobs in this industry are pretty solid especially after 9/11.

yeah most corporations, accounting will be the last department to get laid off.

lol yes and this.

And then the powers of police, judge, jury, and executioner will combine to one ultimate law enforcement agency.

You are correct.

"Tenured" is the key here.

I was a research assistant in Finance for 2 years during my masters program and I worked hand in hand with other PhD doctorate candidates in finance. Through working with them and just general coffee break chatting, you know how much work there is in applying for a teaching position at a decent university? (let alone the top 50 ranked one, based on the field you're in, whether its finance, economics, mathematics, etc) Assume you get an offer for a position, you'll probably start as an assistant professor and it usually takes 6-10 years, depending on the program/school, for you to get "tenured".

Now, between that 6-10 years, you could still get laid off.

Of course, there are exceptions. if you have a break-through research/thesis, or the budget is abundant, or whichever the case may be, you could become tenured in less than 6 years. But those are few and far between IMO.

Well, maybe schools in Canada are different, but at least thats what I am aware of in the US.

So, now, if you need to spend 2 years in masters, 4-6 years in Ph.D and another 6-8 years in assistant professor, assuming you get a position right after you finish your doctorate, you are looking at 14-16 years after you finish your UNDERGRAD, for you to realistically become a tenured professor.

If a professor is tenured at 35 or younger, he's really good/smart or know the right person.

So, you see, if you're good at something (trades such as the mechanics, or business, or marketing, or etc), you should have achieved something, hopefully, by the time you're 35, and hopefully, you're not only just "recession-proof", but at least professionally viable that you could almost immediately find another position if you do get laid off.


Then again, this is all in theory and shxt does happen....

Bad times right now, and hope everyone's getting through. :(

Government jobs are pretty bulletproof

Only if you're union/pensioned - contractors are still being laid off

Cemetary, funeral homes, .... any job relating with dead bodies is doing well. people die no matter how the economy does. people will spend money to take care of the dead.

I know a family friend who carries dead bodies every week as a part time job. He told me that alot of them are from surrey. most of them are pretty young too. shot or stabbed.... you name it.

In a recession / depression economy, there's probably a higher suicide rate.

enough said.

Government jobs are only secure to the extent that the government can borrow enough money during a recession to cover its costs. In the 1990s, the government had a tough time even paying its employees their wages.

And contrary to public perception, the government does a lot of contracting out. And contractors are having a rough time right now.