Recession Proof Jobs: Never Lose Your Job Due To A Recession
There’s nothing like a global pandemic to test job security and for many, the various restrictions, lockdowns and forced closures of business has led to job loss. Understandably, searches for recession proof jobs have sky rocketed as people look for jobs and careers that can withstand the economic turbulence.
This article examines various industries that are unlikely to be impacted by a great recession and offers some ideas on the best recession proof jobs. We’ve taken a very close look at various different industries and the ones we are highlighting have repeatedly demonstrated they can survive despite what’s happening to the economy. It’s important to look beyond the news and headlines of particular sectors and understand that there are many jobs that actually thrive when the economy is struggling.
Intros over, let’s take a look at the most recession proof jobs you can apply for.
#1 Medicine & Health Care
For obvious reasons, the medical sector and health care in general is probably the busiest industry in the world right now, with everybody laser focused on fighting Covid 19. Ignoring the front line for a moment, pharmaceutical companies make up a huge part of the medical sector and these companies will rarely experience a dip. People are living longer and so demand for drugs to treat a huge range of issues is higher than ever. The range of drugs manufactured by pharmaceuticals is truly astounding, from antibiotics to more complex cancer treatments and this will continue to grow alongside the population. There are also a huge range of healthcare problems that we’re yet to find solutions for and research into this will be a constant as well.
Any economic change is highly unlikely to interrupt demand for pharmaceutical drugs because people still have problems they need to manage. Peoples ailments do not pause or go away when the economy is struggling which makes working in medicine extremely recession proof.
If we look back over the last year or so and think about what was actually involved in rolling out the various vaccines and the range of job roles needed, this is a sector that is obviously thriving.
Another valid point is that for everyone that’s cured of their illness, many more get sick and the people that get sick obviously need treating.
If we flip back to front line, workers such as doctors, nurses and all hospital staff will tend to be equally as busy (again, especially in the last 12+ months). If people lose their jobs in a recession, they’re still able to access help through insurance so there’s likely to be little drop in demand.
#2 Utilities
Utility services are the backbone of how we function in our everyday lives and include services such as electric, water and gas, so they’re things that we need just to function and live our lives. Naturally, job roles within these sectors are highly stable and reasonably impervious to economic instability because, much like healthcare and medicine, the service is a necessity to everyday life.
Whilst public utility services are economically robust, they will be impacted by a recession and will come under significant pressure to decrease their prices. This could lead to restructuring if utility companies bow to the pressure and need to make cost savings by letting utility workers go. Most of the time, rather than lower their rates and restructure, the companies will extend their lines of credit.
You might be reading this thinking you have no background or experience in either utilities or medicine but as previously mentioned, it’s really important to explore all of the job roles within a sector. Nearly all businesses, no matter what sector they’re in, will all need business support functions such as IT, human resources, marketing, sales, accounts and admin so don’t dismiss a sector without exploring it thoroughly. These are all recession proof jobs because they’re operating in a recession proof sector and utility workers cover a broad range of disciplines.
#3 Education – high school teachers
Education includes schools, colleges, universities, professional qualifications and industry specific qualifications. Sectors that offer a huge amount of recession proof jobs and ultimately the coveted job security.
The schooling system will never be beaten by a recession. Children’s education is of paramount importance to the prosperity of the country and will never be sacrificed. Kindergarten to high school and beyond, this is about as recession proof as jobs can get.
There is also very little dip in demand for professional qualifications, which is perhaps slightly surprising. During economic downturns people tend to start thinking about how they can make their CV as robust as possible, even if they’ve just lost their job. People will complete first aid courses, communication courses and sales courses to enhance their skill set and make themselves stand out.
Whilst education is extremely recession proof, during a recession job roles within this sector are likely to experience pay freezes which could last for a few years. High school teachers may be more susceptible to these freezes whereas a private supplier may not.
Also, private schools may suffer from parents pulling their kids out of term because they can’t afford it but broadly speaking, they’ll be replaced by other children so they can ride it out.
#4 Recession Proof Jobs in Financial Services
Financial services cover jobs such as a certified public accountant, auditors, underwriters and the like. On the face of it, these don’t seem like recession proof jobs but they’re stable, solid jobs that remain in demand in a recession.
You might be thinking that this is the last sector you want to be involved in heading into a recession because the accountant is the last person a struggling business will think about paying. But it’s important to remember that there are a lot of legal requirements for businesses to adhere to, such as filing accounts, and this still needs to be done.
Financial service professionals might be held to ransom by the make up of their client base so you might want to look for companies that service businesses within some of these sectors in this article.
It’s also important to remember that many businesses thrive during a recession and many businesses are born during a recession, which also created work within financial services.
#5 Law Enforcement
No matter what situation a city or a country might be in, police officers are crucial to maintaining peace and order throughout, especially at a time of panic and fear. It could be the great recession and we’d still need police officers to do there thing.
Law enforcement officers not only maintain law and order, but their presence and visibility offers public confidence which actually prevents crime from happening. Imagine what would happen if the main news story in your state was a major cut to the police force due to a recession. Thieves would be rubbing their hands together and public confidence would plummet.
#6 Waste Management
Garbage and waste management is critically important to our daily lives because it’s an essential part of a functioning society (that we often take it for granted). It’s something we don’t even think about because it’s completely automatic – you take out your garbage and a truck comes by, picks it up and that’s the end of it. But how would you feel if the truck didn’t come by for a week? It’d be hugely inconvenient. What about 2 or 3 weeks? It doesn’t bear thinking about!
Being on the front line in waste management isn’t for everyone, granted. But if you enjoy being outside and job security if high on your list of priorities, waste management is a great place to be.
It’s worth repeating that whilst front line jobs in waste management might not be up your street, but there are many, many other jobs within waste management that you could apply for.
#7 Plumbing
Plumbing, along with electrical heating, HVAC and similar services are another essential to help us live day to day.
Plumbing problems don’t go away just because there’s a recession and people need water to live.
If you don’t have electricity how are you’re going to cook your food and keep yourself warm?
These are crucial services and very resistant to recessions.
People will most likely put off the smaller jobs that aren’t emergencies until they can afford them. Likewise, any big remodelling jobs will most likely be put on hold until the recession eases, but emergency jobs such as leaks and electrical faults will always be in demand.
#8 Mental Health Workers & Social Workers
Whilst this probably does come under medical and healthcare above, it’s good to highlight sectors within the industry, especially one as important as mental health.
People with mental health issues need a lot of care, sometimes very specialized care from specialist professionals, regardless of what the economy is doing. It’s also a very rewarding yet demanding area to work in.
#9 Grocery Stores
The whole world could be collapsing on us but we still need to eat so any jobs that support the smooth running of grocery stores will be safe bets. A lot of people make the mistake of hearing grocery store and instantly thinking of shelf stacking and checkout, but of course they are not the only jobs in this sector.
Firstly, there is nothing wrong with checkout and shelf stacking work, indeed many people really enjoy these roles, especially if you enjoy talking to people. Grocery stores need general managers, supply chain managers, supervisors, payroll, accountants, security and much more.
#10 Funeral Director – a guaranteed recession proof job
Much like all of the recession resistant jobs in healthcare, funeral directors will always have a steady supply of clients and this has no bearing on the state of the economy. In fact as the population increases, so will the number of people dying so these guys will always be in high demand.
This is the ultimate role if you’re looking for job security, but this sector is not for everyone. In fact most people would sacrifice job security to not work in this sector. It takes a specific type of personality to be a funeral director and demands professionalism at all times.
#11 Physical Therapists
Physical therapists helps thousands of people manage a range of complex issues every single day. It’s another job role in health care but it’s another example of how important some of the individual specializations within health are. An economic downturn will have little impact on someone needing therapy because a) they will put their health first and b) they may use their health insurance to cover the costs.
There are also recession proof jobs within physical therapy, especially the private practices. These include receptionists, cleaners and potentially working for companies that supply these practices.
#12 Religious Workers
People making a living within their choses religious field will most likely be safe from recessions. Priesthood is a fairly recession proof job for example. In fact the work of a priest or vicar may become more important with the local community as more people need support during the economic downturn, especially if there’s unemployment.
A job as a religious worker obviously requires the pre-requisite of you needing to believe in a religion. If you do, and the particular religion has paying jobs this could be the one for you.
#13: YouTube Career!
When there’s a recession on and money’s tight, people stay in and find their own cheap entertainment. YouTube is an extremely popular form of entertainment which people often get lost in. You only need an internet connection to access it and there’s literally videos on absolutely everything.
YouTube channels can make money in various different ways. The most common is to allow YouTube to run ads from their advertiser network throughout the videos. These might interrupt the video for a short period of time or just pop up at the bottom. If someone clicks the ad, the channel makes money. There will never be a shortage of advertisers on YouTube, even during a recession, which makes this a very recession proof direction.
You will need to grow a reasonably large audience which can take some time but if you’ve got the right personality and can find a new or different angle on your expert subject, you could literally make your own recession proof job.
Learn more here: How to make a career on YouTube
#14: Recession Proof Your Job by Working with the Rich
Some people are lucky enough to be immune from recessions do to the amount of wealth they have. Their spending habits don’t change at all and they’ll continue to go about their lives without any interruptions. You can take advantage of this by seeking out jobs that cater to the wealthy. Luxury spas and hotels, personal assistants, private jets, personal trainers (to high end clients).
If you were looking to start a service business such as personal training, wedding planning, personal shopping etc. You can make this recession proof (and potentially a lot more lucrative) by focusing on servicing the rich and famous.
#15: Public Transportation Job
During a recession people still need to mobilise and if they normally got around using public transport, this is unlikely to change. The people that use public transportation to get to a place of work are even less likely to stop using it.
The most popular roles here are bus and train drivers but this might extend to taxi drivers and potentially pilots as well (business users).
#16: Transport & Logistics
#9 in this list is grocery stores and grocery stores need continuously stocking, which requires a smooth supply chain. Goods are imported which require shipping or air freight, they’re then transported by road or rail to distribution centres and then delivered to their final destination (generally speaking). This demands train drivers, lorry drivers, pilots, import officers, security, cleaners and many more.
#17: Gas Station Job
Following on from #16, all of the trucks necessary for transporting goods across America require fuelling. As do all of the cars that are still operational despite any economic downturns. Gas stations rarely let workers go in a recession because business usually remains consistent, especially if a lot of the customers are commercial.
It would be wise to choose a gas station that has a history of being competitive because people will tend to shop around more in a recession. If the business isn’t offering competitive rates it might struggle.
Alternatively, you could look for a gas station which has a particular area completely covered . In other words, people have no other options local to them and are forces to fill up at a particular place.
Conclusion – guarantee job security
The purpose of this article is to get you thinking about sectors that are recession proof. This basically comes down to brainstorming a job that has a role in providing something that people will always need. If you want a recession proof job, its time to get a little more selective about the sector your job is in.
Jobs in higher education, medical fields (care workers), finance (accountants), tax, insurance,
If you’re not bothered about job title and the type of labor you might be doing, you have access to a huge range of jobs that would stand up to a recession.
