These Degrees Can Help Students Land Recession-Proof Jobs
Credit: Marco VDM / E+ / Getty Images- Some economists are warning of a potential economic downturn amid policy uncertainty.
- Jobs in public safety and healthcare have traditionally been recession-proof.
- Other fast-growing jobs, like cybersecurity, are set to remain important even in a recession.
- Trades facing labor shortages, like electricians and plumbers, will also likely weather a recession.
Some economists say a recession is on the horizon. If you’re planning on choosing a major soon, some lead to jobs better positioned to weather an economic downturn.
A recession is a period of economic decline, and that generally translates to layoffs and lost jobs.
Economists warned in a recent Bankrate survey that the odds of a recession by March 2026 are now roughly 1 in 3, higher than last year’s estimates due to policy uncertainties including President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Some important caveats about this list: No job is completely recession-proof, and layoffs can happen in any industry or field during a recession. The jobs we’ve compiled have fared better than others in previous recessions, or they currently face labor shortages.
Read on to learn more about the jobs and careers that can help you weather a recession — and the degrees you can pursue to get them.
Accounting
Accountants are needed whether the economy is great or terrible, and employers are currently scrambling for qualified accountants.
There’s a national shortage of qualified accountants driven by a looming certified public accountant (CPA) retirement cliff. In fact, state governments are even stepping in to expand routes to CPA licensure to boost the accounting workforce.
Online master of accounting degrees are increasingly popular options for students, with faculty previously telling BestColleges that students are recognizing accounting’s job security.
New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are assisting — but not replacing — accountants in their roles as key compliance and financial advisors to private organizations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects faster than averagejob growth for accountants and auditors from 2023-2033. These professionals made a median annual salary of $81,680 as of May 2024.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity roles are among the nation’s fastest-growing occupations, according to the BLS.
Employment in these roles is projected to grow at a meteoric 33% rate from 2023-2033. And even in an economic slowdown, companies will still need to protect ever-growing troves of data from increasingly advanced attacks.
A national workforce shortage means that cybersecurity jobs are in demand across various industries, and companies like Google have made major investments in higher education to bolster the cybersecurity workforce.
Cybersecurity is “unlikely to be affected in a major way” by a recession, according to a blog from the cybersecurity-focused tech company RSI Security. In fact, RSI Security notes that cybercrime can even rise during recessions due to an increase in vulnerabilities at shrinking organizations.
Looking for a recession-proof career path? These degree programs might help:
Law
The legal profession isn’t uniformly immune to recessions.
The legal search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa wrote that healthcare law, employment law, and labor law tend to be more stable during a recession than other areas of law. Some areas, like bankruptcy and restructuring, actually tend to grow during recessions.
Corporate practice and real estate, on the other hand, tend to slow down during a recession.
Healthcare
Careers in healthcare have generally been resilient in previous recessions.
A previous study by the University of Illinois Chicago found that the healthcare sector is largely immune to downturns, and healthcare employment even increases when counties experience severe economic downturns.
Nurses are in particularly high demand amid a nationwide shortage, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects faster-than-average job growth for nurse practitioners and registered nurses from 2023-2033.
That isn’t necessarily the case for all healthcare careers.
Healthcare publication MedCity News previously wrote that lower patient volumes combined with the labor shortage means some organizations are struggling. Healthcare organizations that receive federal funding could also be affected by planned federal government cuts.
Public Safety
Public safety roles in areas like law enforcement, emergency medical services, and firefighting are generally stable during recessions.
The operating budgets of these essential services tend to be less affected by the broader economy, according to the consulting firm RedFlash Group. That doesn’t mean there will be no budgetary changes to essential services, but they’re generally slower to have their budgets cut than other sectors.
Employment in law enforcement careers is projected to be on the rise, according to the BLS, and many of those jobs require only a high school diploma or equivalent. Online degrees in criminal justice are also available for working professionals who want to pursue more advanced roles.
Trades
A national shortage of plumbers and electricians means companies are desperate for skilled workers — and trades usually feature more affordable training that doesn’t require a college degree.
The consulting firm McKinsey & Company previously found that U.S. companies are lacking qualified electricians, welders, and plumbers. That labor shortage has been ongoing since the COVID-19 pandemic and is worsened by the retirement of experienced workers.
That doesn’t apply to all trades: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce notes that there is actually a worker surplus in the construction industry nationwide, although that varies by location.
Trade schools, certificate programs, fast-track employer training programs, and community colleges all can offer more affordable routes into the trades, BestColleges previously reported.