by Kristina Cowan, PayScale.com
Rising unemployment is enough to make any worker nervous. In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the U.S. unemployment rate had climbed from 8.1% to 8.5%. A closer look at the numbers reveals another cause for concern, especially among men: February unemployment for men 25 and older was 8.8%; for women it was 7.0% (seasonally adjusted) -- the widest gap since 1948, when the BLS started gathering the data.
According to the BLS, as of January 2009, women accounted for 49.5 percent of the workforce.
Steve Hipple, an economist at the BLS, says men account for about four out of every five people who lose jobs. Hipple explains further, "During recessions, men are much more likely to lose their jobs because they are concentrated in industries such as construction and manufacturing that are hit particularly hard as the economy slows."
Different Approaches to Work
Some news reports and experts say this gap is partly caused by women's penchant for picking recession-proof careers, such as those in education and health care. Others, however, say there's no truly recession-proof industry, and that women's flexible approach to work enables them to better weather fiscal storms -- no matter what their career paths.
Laurence Shatkin, a career information expert and author of "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs," says his research shows that women tend to be concentrated in jobs that involve helping others, including education and health care. "Many of these needs for help don't go away in a recession, and many of them involve onsite and even hands-on work, so they can't be off-shored," Shatkin explains.
J.T. O'Donnell, a New Hampshire-based career strategist and founder of Careerealism.com, points to two other possible reasons for the difference: women are more likely to have flexible attitudes about work and more likely to emphasize building relationships. For example, women's emotional intelligence and understanding about the needs of employees and customers is a critical asset for companies.
"We are becoming a culture where the only way your company can survive is to connect with your customers in the down time. A customer may not be able to buy today, but the understanding and appreciation and ability to still connect with [a customer] in spite of the fact they can't buy [something] -- that's what they'll remember when the economy turns," she says. Women can often make that connection very easily, according to O'Donnell.
Solid Career Picks for Recessionary Times
If you're looking for work that can withstand a tough recession, here's a short list* of jobs to consider where women currently hold the majority of positions:
Job title -- Percentage of women -- Median salary
Physician assistants -- 62% -- $79,300
Registered nurses -- 90% -- $55,500
Reference librarians -- 71% -- $43,700
Curators -- 70% -- $42,300
Middle-school teachers -- 67% -- $41,700
Is Any Job Guaranteed for Men or Women?
While some fields are more resistant than others to fiscal upheaval, experts say no job or career path is entirely safe -- for men or women. Instead, it's best to focus on skills and strengths that will help insulate you no matter what field you pursue, they say.
"You need to have a key understanding of your top strengths. What are the things that are strongest and innate in you? Then focus on general job types that leverage those. So you go into a job and knock it out of the park every time, which makes you employable," O'Donnell explains.
*Job titles, percentages of women and median salary figures (5-9 years experience) are from PayScale.com. The job titles were suggested as recession-proof picks by Laurence Shatkin.
Rising unemployment is enough to make any worker nervous. In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the U.S. unemployment rate had climbed from 8.1% to 8.5%. A closer look at the numbers reveals another cause for concern, especially among men: February unemployment for men 25 and older was 8.8%; for women it was 7.0% (seasonally adjusted) -- the widest gap since 1948, when the BLS started gathering the data.
According to the BLS, as of January 2009, women accounted for 49.5 percent of the workforce.
Steve Hipple, an economist at the BLS, says men account for about four out of every five people who lose jobs. Hipple explains further, "During recessions, men are much more likely to lose their jobs because they are concentrated in industries such as construction and manufacturing that are hit particularly hard as the economy slows."
Different Approaches to Work
Some news reports and experts say this gap is partly caused by women's penchant for picking recession-proof careers, such as those in education and health care. Others, however, say there's no truly recession-proof industry, and that women's flexible approach to work enables them to better weather fiscal storms -- no matter what their career paths.
Laurence Shatkin, a career information expert and author of "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs," says his research shows that women tend to be concentrated in jobs that involve helping others, including education and health care. "Many of these needs for help don't go away in a recession, and many of them involve onsite and even hands-on work, so they can't be off-shored," Shatkin explains.
J.T. O'Donnell, a New Hampshire-based career strategist and founder of Careerealism.com, points to two other possible reasons for the difference: women are more likely to have flexible attitudes about work and more likely to emphasize building relationships. For example, women's emotional intelligence and understanding about the needs of employees and customers is a critical asset for companies.
"We are becoming a culture where the only way your company can survive is to connect with your customers in the down time. A customer may not be able to buy today, but the understanding and appreciation and ability to still connect with [a customer] in spite of the fact they can't buy [something] -- that's what they'll remember when the economy turns," she says. Women can often make that connection very easily, according to O'Donnell.
Solid Career Picks for Recessionary Times
If you're looking for work that can withstand a tough recession, here's a short list* of jobs to consider where women currently hold the majority of positions:
Job title -- Percentage of women -- Median salary
Physician assistants -- 62% -- $79,300
Registered nurses -- 90% -- $55,500
Reference librarians -- 71% -- $43,700
Curators -- 70% -- $42,300
Middle-school teachers -- 67% -- $41,700
Is Any Job Guaranteed for Men or Women?
While some fields are more resistant than others to fiscal upheaval, experts say no job or career path is entirely safe -- for men or women. Instead, it's best to focus on skills and strengths that will help insulate you no matter what field you pursue, they say.
"You need to have a key understanding of your top strengths. What are the things that are strongest and innate in you? Then focus on general job types that leverage those. So you go into a job and knock it out of the park every time, which makes you employable," O'Donnell explains.
*Job titles, percentages of women and median salary figures (5-9 years experience) are from PayScale.com. The job titles were suggested as recession-proof picks by Laurence Shatkin.
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