ONLINE DEGREE

The reported loss of 63,000 jobs in February dealt a significant blow to the economy; and unemployment remains steady at 4.8%. 

However, employers are still hiring in some career fields, even during this economic downturn. So which jobs are still up for grabs?

The lost jobs in February were primarily focused in construction, manufacturing and retail. Financial services workers have also had a tough time hanging onto their jobs. But a number of other professions appear to be less affected by layoffs. Of course, this situation could change in the coming months.

Surprisingly, a few careers are expected to increase in demand, despite economic woes. 

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  health care jobs — including nursing — continued to grow in February; and 360,00 additional jobs have been added in the last 12 months. Most of these jobs are in hospitals and emergency health care facilities.
• Food service occupations gained an average of 12,000 jobs a month since November 2007. This category includes food service managers, restaurant wait staff, bartenders and catering services.

A previous post, Ten Careers You Can Train for in Two Years or Less, includes a few of the hot health care careers:

• licensed practical nurse (LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN)
• surgical technologist
• emergency medical technician
• medical coding and billing specialist

However, economic declines flow in cycles; and a profession that is shaving jobs now could become a hot career as the economy recovers. So it may be just as prudent to pursue a dream career by taking traditional classes or pursuing an online degree program while working to pay the bills.

And once the required courses have been fulfilled, the desired employment opportunity may well become available during healthier economic times. Before preparing for a chosen career, it would be wise to check the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook for a look at whether the demand for a specific job is expected to grow or decline in future years. 

Then . . . just go for it!

online degrees, online degree program, jobs, economy, career, U.S. Department of Labor, nursing, health care jobs, hot jobs, health care career, food services

Popularity: 7% [?]

Share This