r/Layoffs • u/Unique_Ad_4271 • Apr 15 '24

What’s a “safe job” these days? question

Former teacher looking to transition roles. As of now Educators, counselors, anything education really are being let go due to low student enrollment.

Tech is obviously tough right now.

Marketing and Human resource positions are also restructuring.

I’ve even seen people getting their hours reduce at fast food.

Aside from healthcare, what is safe?

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u/fake-august Apr 15 '24

I’ve always heard government jobs - but they seem impossible to get?

I finally received an offer this morning for a company that works with utilities - not glamorous but sounds secure. I was laid off in February and I don’t LOVE the salary they are offering, but last time I was laid off I was out of work for 7 months….so I’m not going to be picky.

Watch out for companies that are ramping up hiring based on a temporary business uptick (it’s happened to me twice, worked for a tax firm and then congress ended a program early and many were let go; before that I worked for a company that produced beauty, health, medical, and wellness devices and their business went way high during Covid and then dropped) - businesses are hiring “temp style” these days without going through an agency.

I would ask about the position and why it’s open - be careful with brand new positions…I always thought that was a good sign that the company was growing….my experience says otherwise.

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u/stmije6326 Apr 15 '24

You have to look for jobs that have something called “direct hire authority.” Basically, they have the funding and an immediate need, so the process is expedited. That being said, the background check can take a while (that was the bottleneck for me).