What would the top 3 most stable jobs be?

The three most stable jobs are in government in public service.

There will always be a need for police officers, firemen, and nurses.

These jobs are rock solid and will always be there, as long is there is crime, fires and sickness.

Great question. I work in TV, which I would say is pretty stable. Maybe not top 3, but during a recession/depression people tend to spend more money on cable TV, not less, as they tend to go out less and want more entertainment on their doorstep.

I would also say choose a job that can’t be done by remote control or be outsourced to India or China.

I guess the types of jobs that provide something that most people will always need. Like @john65pennington says, policemen, firefighters. If you own a toilet paper factory, or work in some food processing plant, I guess that’s probably pretty stable?
Not entirely sure which three would make a top list, since no matter how much people might need of a certain product or service, that never guarantees individual stability. :/

Drug Dealer, Black Market Weapons Merchant, Prostitute.

The most stable jobs are going to be the ones that you give yourself. Are you going to fire yourself?

Find something you love and then do it well, people will pay you for it.

Can always count on @ragingloli for the most interesting perspectives :-)

I’d add to @john65pennington‘s list with mortuary and funeral planning work.
Death is a big industry too. lol

@HungryGuy
They are also unquestioningly true.

Mortician, CPA, medical person

I don’t think there are any stable jobs. In NYS were laying off firefighters,police and nurses.
Garbage collectors was the only one that came to mind.
Until r proved me wrong.lol

@ragingloli Oh gosh, hate to say it but you are probably right…
Okay, 3 top jobs that are respectable then.

@Adirondackwannabe Yeah, that’s why I didn’t mention the medical field. It’s pretty shoddy in Canada, anyways. Even though the country’s hurtin for medical staff, nurses are always getting laid off like mad. :/

@ragingloli True dat, but those aren’t legal jobs. :p

Tax collector and undertaker.

@Symbeline Same here. Nurses asked to do twice what they used to, hospitals closing, counties looking to dump their nursing homes.
MilkyWay, I think you need to stay flexible and be ready for change. Sucks but it’s reality.

Stable doesn’t always mean best paying. One huge real estate secret job is property management. Upper management gets six figures. People will always need to manage buildings of all sorts. It could be apartment buildings, office buildings or industrial complexes. While other real estate professionals are really hurt in a down economy, property managers are still making sure that the buildings are maintained.

Prison employees, morticians and grave diggers.

I would have said as another alternative as maybe working with the unemployed and homeless… there will always be unemployed and homeless… however stability of these jobs may not be matched…

@cosmicprawn who will pay a salary for working there? what is the return on investment? Where is the capitalistic value in that? Money money… show me the money!!!

Funeral directors, prostitutes and cleaners

@john65pennington Even government jobs, including firefighters and police officers, are getting laid off in the UK. In fact being a government employee here is less stable than working in the private sector.

There is no such thing as a stable job now.

Accountants
Doctors
Undertakers

If you define “stable job” as a category of employment, then government service jobs are a good answer, as is the medical field, mortuary work, prisons, tax workers, etc. There will always be a need for somebody to work in those fields.

But if you really mean “In what line of work can I find the most secure employment?”—that is, a single job and not a whole job description—I don’t think there’s any such thing, from top execs on down. There may always be a need for a certain type of work, but there’s always going to be more than one person who can do it. If what you mean is the most stable job for you, I can’t name one.

That is, until we come so far that we have lost people who know how to make things with their hands and to perform basic functions without computers and complex machinery. When the power fails, when the energy supplies dry up, when some adversary takes down the grid, those will be the indispensable ones. They and the ones who produce food.

Food Service, Housekeeping, mechanic

Interesting responses jellies, thank you for answering. I found them really helpful. :)

Downtide, most American officers and firefighters are under Civil Service, which protects them from mass layoffs.

Mucking the stalls, putting on the feed bag and cleaning the horses hooves. (The opinion of a city gal.)
Oops. I failed to notice this was a General Question. You may mod it if you wish.

@funkdaddy “Find something you love and then do it well, people will pay you for it.”...If only it were that easy!

It’s only going to work for me for as long as I look young.

@Sunny2 Horse laugh. That is so bad. :)
Mods please let it go. A little humour (for MW) would help this thread.

Prostitution will never go away. Always in demand, always will be, However, that does not mean that an individual prostitute has a stable job. If Leroy gets sent to the big house, Streetwalker Sally is effectively unemployed, unless she wants to go freelance, which has it’s own risks. Drug dealers are the same way; if their supplier stops supplying, they need to find another gig.

In current-day America, I think that many jobs in the financial sector are pretty stable. If you do your job wrong and lose money, you lose someone elses money, and unlike drug dealers and hookers, you are effectively immune from prosecution.

Most government jobs are not as stable as you think. I know too many ex-government employees that went into involuntary retirement or just plain got laid off to think otherwise.
Police officer is one of the few government jobs that is secure since there are plenty of bad guys out there, and not enough people to catch them.

Lastly, there are job-seekers. Sure, they can’t pay the bills, but in this economy it’s a pretty stable position; those without jobs are going to be without them for a while.

In the HBO series “The Sopranos,” Tony Soprano’s official business was “waste hauling.” While this seems silly at first, ask yourself how long any city can manage with waste piling up. Not very long is the answer. Thus Waste hauling should be among the top three.
Along with that I’d add farming and “protection” in its various forms.

Banking and insurance a pretty recession proof.

“MilkyWay” Here is an interesting list. It compares self-assessed job security with best jobs rank. Click on the job titles for a more detailed job description. Funny, but my sister is a training specialist and works for the Federal government. Talk about job security! Whenever she talks about changing jobs we all roll our eyes and think she’s crazy! She is working on getting her Master’s degree now.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/qualitylife/security.html