Worried about your job? Here's a guide to finding recession-proof work

For the last several months, I've had a hard time picking selections for the Color of Money Book Club. Many of the books were written before what I call the Great Millennium Meltdown. Although some forecasted trouble, much of the advice lacks today's context.

So as I began looking for November, I searched for a book that could be helpful to people trying to make ends meet. This is what I found: "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs" (JIST Works, $16.95).

JIST, a division of EMC Corp., is a leading publisher of materials to help people in their job or career searches. This book was written by two JIST editors, Sue Pines and Stephanie Koutek, and Laurence Shatkin, who has spent more than 25 years in the career information business.

"Nobody's job is 100 percent secure, but you can take steps to reduce your chances of being laid off in the event of an economic downturn and to increase your chances of bouncing back if you are laid off anyway," the authors write.

Although figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent in September, the number of unemployed has increased over the past 12 months by 2.2 million, to 9.5 million. In September, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) rose by 167,000 to 2 million.

As the authors point out, some occupations and industries can withstand downturns better than others. During a recession, people may curtail their shopping or hold onto their cars for a few more years, but the sick still need medical attention. Registered nurses ranked fourth on the list of recession-proof jobs. Physician assistants were 11th.

The number one spot on the top 150 list was not surprisingly held by computer systems analysts. On average, they earn about $70,000 a year. The next two top recession-proof jobs were also in the computer technology field. Postsecondary teachers were fifth on the list.

In part, to identify the top jobs for a recession, the authors relied on the ratings in the Occupational Outlook Quarterly, a publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In this book you will find a number of lists that break down the job rankings by pay, growth, and number of openings. In addition to the top recession-proof jobs, you'll find a list of the 40 best-paying recession-proof careers.

Each job description includes information on the education or training needed to land the position. Many jobs require a college degree. However, there are some that don't, such as a dental hygienist, eighth on the list.

The job listings also have facts on what someone starting out would earn.

As with any lists like this, there are limitations. "Understand that a problem with such data is that it describes an average," the authors write.

Overall this is a guide to find a job that just may help you keep paying the bills in good times and bad.

Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post. She can be reached at singletarym@washpost.com.