Careers without Layoffs
Are you looking for a career that will offer above average job security? Do you want one where you will have less of a chance of getting laid off? To avoid getting laid off you need to either be better than anyone else in your work unit and not be protected by a union contract regarding seniority or you need to be in a career field that has a long history of steady work.
So what field should you look into for job security? The answers may surprise you. So here are the top five career fields that are least likely to have layoffs.
Military Service. Not a lot of people think about that and it is generally for the very young and you need to be physically qualified. The advantages are that you can see a steady paycheck, you will get lots of training, they will pay for your college, you will learn valuable skills and develop as a leader and as a manager. If you decide to make it a career, between 20 and 30 years of service earns you a pension of between 50 and 75 percent of your base pay. The down side is that you could become seriously injured in either combat or combat like training. If you are hurt, the Veteran’s Administration will provide you with a small disability pension and retrain you for another career. Lastly, you could get killed while serving your country and if that happens your spouse and children will be entitled to certain benefits including education.
Federal Civil Service. With the exception of the federal air traffic controllers who were striking illegally, it is pretty hard to get fired or laid off by the federal government! There are all sorts of fields and if you get tired of one agency you can always shift to another! The jobs come with fairly good benefits, a 401K style match of the first 5 percent of pay and a pension equal to 1 percent for each year of service. These are not political appointments and don’t confuse these government workers for politicians as politicians get laid off by the electorate! Federal Civil Service employees are career professionals who provide that continuity of service from one administration to the next!
Law Enforcement. Another field that has a certain amount of risk but as long as there are people who don’t want to obey the law we will have cops! Law Enforcement Officers generally have a decent pension and fairly good health care plans and while there have been some layoffs during the great recession of 2007-2010, the numbers were pretty small so that still makes Law Enforcement a safe bet!
Energy and Utilities. No matter how bad it gets, people still need the lights to come on and for the water to come out of the faucet! These can be jobs that are in loud, hot or cold, and potentially dangerous environments but with proper use of safety equipment and utilizing proper training you can stay safe and make a very good living.
Essential services. This one can be a little vague because it covers everything from the trash pick-up services to sewage treatment facilities. These types of jobs are not for the faint of heart but there are things in this world that most people don’t want to deal with and so they pay other people to do it. Included in this category are industrial cleaning services, environmental clean-up and response in addition to funeral home work including cremation. These are things that have to get done and they need to get done every day and can’t really be put off until later.
Health Care. Hospitals and nursing homes are the major places of employment for health care professionals and as long as you are willing to move you will always have a job! Why move? Because older folks, who use the most of the health care services, shift their idea of where is the right place to go for their golden years. While Florida and Arizona are popular now, Las Vegas and other Nevada gambling towns could see an upsurge in retirees due to the good deals in real estate there right now.
Education. Let’s face it, kids still need to go to school and adult education is still picking up. If you have what it takes to be a teacher, a teacher’s aide or work as a educational administrator your chances of getting laid off are pretty slim but it can happen.
So there you have it, the lucky seven career fields that can give you a fair degree of job security. Each has its pluses and minuses and your individual temperament and attitude will determine where you will be most successful.
Good luck!
