Unless you are an elected official or burn the midnight oil as a performer at an adult entertainment club, it is likely that you have had concern about losing your job to the winds of outsourcing at some point. This concern is certainly valid since some counts have nearly 1.6 million jobs moving overseas in 2010 -- up almost threefold since 2005. Furthermore, these are not just manufacturing jobs that we’re talking about. Of course, we’ve all heard of the computer programming and data entry jobs that find their way overseas to places like India, but the U.S. job marketplace is also starting to see jobs in sales, architecture, legal, and even management positions being outsourced.
Fortunately, the situation is not hopeless. In addition to the Bureau of Labor reporting that there are more workers in America than ever before, regardless of the outsourcing trend, there are many jobs that are unlikely to be outsourced. Here are a few to consider:
Health care
It is not exactly convenient to fly overseas when it comes time to visit the dentist or the doctor’s office. Furthermore, with a large segment of the population aging, we will also see record numbers of people entering nursing homes or assisted living facilities -- and odds are that these denizens will prefer to stay in the U.S. than relocate to an overseas facility for outsourced care. In short, people will need medical care and it needs to be in their backyard -- not a different country.
In addition to the traditional fields, such as a nurse or physician, there is a wealth of other positions that make the health-care field go. Consider a career as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician or perhaps a research or science career within a pharmaceutical company. Health-care administration and management is a rapidly growing field and allows for the application of an array of business and professional skills as well -- after all, health-care establishments are businesses and need to be properly run. As long as people live in this country, health care will remain here at home and the jobs that support the industry won’t be outsourced.
Construction
I think we can all safely say that it would be hard for someone overseas to build your house. Although many technological advances have been made through the years, buildings are still built the old fashioned way -- by hand. This is not to say that you should leave your office job to pour cement -- though it can be quite profitable.
Think about the industries that cater to construction. If you like being outside and tasked with the responsibility, a job as a construction manager might be your calling, especially since it’s not easy to crack the whip (among many other management duties) from an outsourced location across the ocean. Engineering jobs, regardless of the concentration, are also in demand in the U.S. and essential to the construction industry.
We have all heard that these types of jobs are being outsourced, but the reality is that they are not. Consider a country like India: it needs to keep as many of its engineers as possible since it has a population that’s roughly four times greater than the U.S.’s and shows far more construction and development growth than us. India also produces far fewer engineers than U.S. universities do. It would seem that for the foreseeable future, construction and engineering jobs will most likely remain intact and immune from outsourcing.
Real estate
Your house is here, the office building you work in is here, the land you want to buy is here, and the people that make real estate happen are here. Realtor and the myriad of other jobs that encompass the real estate industry -- everything from attorneys, mortgage officers, appraisers, insurance agents, and even decorators -- are possible career options that likely won’t be outsourced. Additionally, real estate is a highly regulated industry in the U.S. and many jobs require licenses that must be obtained and maintained. It is, therefore, difficult from a legal standpoint to outsource real estate jobs. Financial services, another highly regulated industry and one that also has the keep-it-at-home mentality, offers similar protection from outsourcing.
Education
The population of our country is growing and the enrollment rate at higher-education institutions is expected to grow at an even faster clip in the years to come. This means that there will be a demand for jobs in education and despite technological advances that enable online learning and courses, the vast majority of education will remain at brick-and-mortar facilities.
Even if you feel that you are not cut out to be a classroom teacher or a university professor, the trail of jobs within education does not stop there. Universities, in particular, operate as self-sustaining businesses with full finance, food service, administration, leadership, and security positions. Grade schools are also seeing an increase in jobs that are not typically thought to be related to teaching, such as guidance counselors, resource officers, speech pathologists, and even behavioral therapists.
You can even think beyond traditional schooling and turn to such things as working for a professional training or consulting firm or a continuing education firm. As long as people in this country seek education, whether it’s for children or professionals seeking to augment their career path with new skills, there will be a need for trained educators and supporting personnel -- none of which can be easily outsourced.
Public service
The military may also be an interesting option since there are countless jobs that run the machine, and most are not directly combat related. The jobs available in the military are as varied as in the civilian sector and because the military operates much like a business you can expect to find work in communications, management, food service, administration, personal care, therapy, technology and computers, finance, and much more.
USMilitary.com is a great resource that provides dozens of examples of job openings among the military branches along with the civilian equivalent of the job. Similar capacities, though not as diverse, are available through local public service organizations, such as the police or fire departments. The facts remain that you cannot fight a fire or serve and protect from overseas, and you have to be a citizen to serve in the military. Add those things together, and these jobs are certainly outsource proof.
Outsource outcry
Of course, the best vaccine you can have against losing your job to outsourcing is to ensure you continue to be valuable to your organization. If you continue to build on the knowledge and skills that make you integral to the success of your organization, it will be difficult to replace you -- especially from overseas. You may also want to consider the most outsource-proof job of all -- running your own business. Certainly, there are risks involved with that approach, but it will be totally up to you whether or not to outsource yourself. If none of the above interest you, you can always strive to become an elected official -- I doubt the U.S. will outsource its government anytime soon.
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