Why "Recession-Proof" Jobs Are a Myth

[Tuesday Afternoon]

Rick Newman

When President Obama proposed a federal pay freeze recently, there must have been quite a few civil servants who thought, "Whoa! This isn't supposed to happen!"

In private firms, pay freezes have become as common as Post-It notes. But government jobs, you'll recall, are supposed to be "recession-proof" and far less susceptible to the strains of a weak economy. The government has never said that, exactly, but lots of career experts have, and if the compact was never overt it was at least well understood: Government jobs tend to come with lower pay and prestige, but with benefits and job security that make up for it.

No longer. As with so many other things, many of the old assumptions about safe jobs and stable careers have been shattered by the grueling economic transformation we're still in the middle of. Yet the ubiquitous lists of best careers and recession-proof jobs continue to propagate the phony idea that some lines of work are immune to economic stress. Here are some of the careers recommended by outfits like CareerBuilder, Forbes, Time, HR World, and Associated Content, along with the more sobering reality:

Education. Conventional wisdom: Education is indispensable and most teachers get their paychecks from state or local governments, which are less susceptible to recessions than private industry. Plus, most teachers belong to unions, which provide further protection against layoffs and pay cuts.

more at link:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-RecessionProof-Jobs-Are-a-usnews-2653783528.html?x=0

[Hannah Bell]

1. "the grueling economic transition" = the ruling class has decided to cut back &

shear the sheep.

these ruling class publicists talk about "the economy" as though it were a thing-in-itself, a natural phenomenon outside human control or law.

instead of a thing wholly human-created, run by humans, tweaked by a specific class of humans in their own interest.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. meanwhile, we must plan ahead for ourselves and our children

fact remains (thanks to TPTB) that there are no recession proof jobs.

[Major Hogwash]

3. Great comment! Truly accurate insight about the economy.

It always has been totally manipulated by those who could influence it.
First it was the kings, then the banks, now it is the corporations who own our government like so many low-level employees.

[Kablooie]

4. Funeral Director is pretty recession proof.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. and some others listed here:

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/job-outlook-for-best-careers-2010/9