Recession 2009: Jobs With Stability

As children we were always asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Generally our responses were geared around something we loved.... a creative child would choose an artistic career, an animal lover wants to be a veterinarian, an adventurist wants to be a pilot (and I am sure some of you know kids who should be lawyers based on talking back and arguing). Nevertheless, things change over time including priorities, interests, education, and the ability to find a job doing what you love. One aspect that has gained popularity during the recession we have been faced with has been finding a job with stability.

A recent article from the US News and World Report list the following as the most secure seven jobs in today's economy:

Registered nurse: In the words of Laurence Shatkin, author of 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs, registered nursing is "gold" right now. For one thing, the industry is stable. "People get sick no matter what the economy is like," Shatkin says. Also, this job won't ever be outsourced. Certainly there have been some layoffs in scattered regions around the country, but the health care field keeps growing.

Air traffic controller: This group has more job security than most workers, according to the Labor Department. It's a high-stress job with plenty of ongoing medical and proficiency requirements, but if controllers can meet the standards, they are unlikely to face layoffs in a recession, even as air travel drops off.

Lobbyist: When the National Association of Manufacturers announced layoffs earlier this month, it said its policy and government relations group would not be affected. Associations need political advocates more than ever in a recession rife with government intervention. Washington bailouts are splashing cash around the country, and organizations, businesses, and regions often rely on lobbyists to help them snag a piece of the pie. There were 15,962 lobbyists in 2008, up from 15,497 a year earlier and from 10,693 a decade earlier, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Public-school teacher: Government jobs are probably the best places to find real security, Shatkin says. "That includes people who work in public schools," he adds. Recently, even former Wall Streeters accustomed to megabonuses and fast routes up the corporate ladder have been turning to teaching opportunities in the New York City public school system, where pay is much lower but security is much greater.

Government accountant: Again, the government is a great potential employer if you're trying to find security. Demand is solid in the private accounting profession, but public accounting as well will very likely pick up as the government ramps up its oversight and auditing in the wake of the Wall Street meltdown and resulting financial crisis. Relmond Van Daniker, executive director of the Association of Government Accountants, says government had thinned the ranks of accountants in recent years through attrition, as part of its deregulatory effort. Going forward, Van Daniker says, he expects steady hiring over the next five years or so.

College professor: Ah, tenure. No firing without just cause and due process. Although colleges are increasingly hiring for limited-term and part-time (adjunct) faculty, the tenure track is still secure if you can get it. As former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, now a public policy professor at the University of California-Berkeley, wrote in an end-of-2008 blog post: "I'm not too worried about my job because I have tenure here at the University of California, although maybe I should worry because the state is technically bankrupt. Still, I'm one of the lucky ones."

Federal judge: OK, so it may not have broad application (how many of us will turn out to be federal judges?), but lifetime tenure is hard to ignore. The policy is intended to insulate judges from outside interests but also, according to American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Norman Ornstein, to attract the best and brightest to the law profession. It's important to note that most judges don't have that luxury: They're appointed to renewable terms of four or six years.