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What’s the best business to be in during a recession? Are some industries safer than others? Experts say there are, in fact, some recession-proof jobs that may be a better bet.

In the wake of the housing crisis, news abounds of a looming recession, with regular reports of financial gloom. It’s no wonder workers are fretting over finances and the employment outlook for the coming months, as a recent Hudson Employment Index shows. Workers shouldn’t worry, experts say. Jobs in some industries do have good potential for weathering a financial storm. It’s more important, though, for employees to focus on making themselves recession-proof.

Best Businesses During a Recession

Even during boom times no job is fail-safe. But some industries are safer havens than others, experts say, such as healthcare, the federal government, clean technology, information technology, and sales and marketing.

“I think the recession-proof jobs are where people need the goods and services regardless, like healthcare and pharmaceuticals. People are getting older, people are getting frailer, and demographics of the population are aging. Biosciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy—those are jobs that are as recession-proof as they come. They also require specialized skills,” says Jon Bender, managing partner with PrincetonOne, a New Jersey-based recruiting firm.

Sales and marketing positions and others supporting them are fairly sturdy, according to Kevin Donlin, author and creator of The Simple Job Search system. Anyone who makes or saves money for a company will be relatively safe, he says. Federal government jobs also may be worth considering.

“Uncle Sam hires approximately 2 percent of America’s total workforce and the pay and benefits are outstanding. Few feds lose their jobs during a recession and most downsizing in the federal government is based on attrition, not filling vacant positions, rather than letting people go. I know firsthand; from 1969 through January of 2005, I worked for Uncle Sam and went through a number of recessions and agency reorganizations during that time,” says author and retired federal employee Dennis V. Damp.

With baby boomers leaving government jobs, there are many opportunities to land these positions, Damp says, noting the best time to act is before a recession.

Surviving a Recession - What to Do if a Recession Hits

During a recession isn’t the best time to take charge of your work life and make drastic decisions, experts agree.

Marc Karasu, a career coach and former vice president of advertising and marketing at Yahoo! HotJobs, says workers should concentrate on their current job and highlight how they’ve exceeded expectations.

“Self-promotion is a fine thing, and there’s nothing wrong with letting your superiors know in a professional and intelligent way that you’re adding value. If you can, start demonstrating the value you add to a company through your annual performance review,” Karasu says. “Also, meet with your boss and say where you are doing good, where you can improve. Bosses like to see people come to them proactively. The key is to do it today before a recession, so you don’t look desperate.”Recession proof jobs full story

An end to the American housing recession, something that many observers regard as essential to ending the credit crunch, seemed little closer yesterday, with US real estate prices falling by the sharpest annual rate ever in July, though the monthly rate of decline is slowing.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller housing index fell by a record 16.3 per cent in July from the level a year ago, the biggest drop since its inception in 2000. The index covers properties across the 20 largest urban centres in the US. Prices in these areas have plummeted almost 20 per cent since peaking in July 2006. A further fall will see a further rise in the losses faced by the banks on subprime property loans and other mortgages.

Even the fact that the pace of monthly declines is slowing gives little cause for optimism. Anna Piretti, of BNP Paribas, commented: “While house price deflation appears to have moderated in recent months, rising housing foreclosures, the huge overhang of unsold properties still available on the market, ongoing financial troubles and additional expected economic weakness should continue to exert substantial downward pressure on house prices well into next year.”

There is “no evidence of a bottom”, added David M Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P.

As throughout the housing crisis, property in areas such as Las Vegas is faring worst. There prices plunged by almost 30 per cent on the year, with Phoenix, Arizona diving 29 per cent while Miami, Florida, saw a decline of 28 per cent.

Last week, the National Association of Realtors said the median sales price of an existing home fell 9.5 per cent to $203,100 (£114,275) last month, the largest annual price decline on records dating to 1999. The median home price of a new home fell 5.5 per cent to $221,900 in August, the Commerce Department also reported.

Before the most recent banking crises, Americans confidence in the economy unexpectedly improved in September – but it still hovers near a 16-year low. The optimism of the American consumer was buoyed by the tax rebates issued by the American government in an attempt to stimulate the economy, However it remains about half of what it was a year ago, and, like house prices, seems likely to stay depressed as financial turmoil continues and more jobs in the financial and other sectors disappear.