The Top Jobs for 2009

But the recession might slow the corporate world's eco-makeover, as many companies' transition to green-hood is delayed by financial problems. To see any growth in green job demand, we'll also need to see some "very creative new organizations," Varelas explains. Upstart green-services companies may be hiring, she says, but otherwise this sector will be what she describes as a "slow-growth industry: high demand but high competition."

Companies that can afford to go green will hire staffers like Traceability Managers, who will examine global supply chains and check for suppliers that might be excessively pollutive or carbon-costly to buy from. Environmental consultancies will seek to hire engineers or architects who are LEED-accredited, understand HVAC systems and can help guide developers through the LEED approval process for their buildings.

5) Energy

"There's a big buzz on campus about renewable energy," says Chris Higgins, Senior Associate Director of Career Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Outgoing students are particularly interested in startup companies, he says. "Biofuels seem to be the biggest area of investment." Those venture-backed businesses should still be in good shape to hire in 2009, since they are more insulated from the broader economy.

"Obama's talking a lot about green initiatives, so alternative fuels are going to be big," agrees Spherion CEO Krause. But those renewable energy jobs might also see a glut of interest from workers in traditional energy, thanks in part to increasing volatility and competitiveness in the market for oil and gas jobs that has resulted from wild oil-price fluctuations. "We're seeing a slowdown in Texas and Canada," Varelas says of North America's two biggest oil-producing areas. Workers in the energy industry have very specific skill-sets and knowledge that don't translate well to other industries, she notes. She predicts that many of these workers may "be jumping at a green energy job" if they have the opportunity.

6) Infrastructure

With the president-elect vowing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on internal improvements like roads, bridges, broadband infrastructure and financial oversight, some experts are predicting niche job booms. "We work with a couple of companies that build bridges, and they're expecting a lot more business." says Krause.

Financiers might also find new lives as a part of the government's new regulatory apparatus, which will need auditors, accountants and compliance officers. Obama's energy-independence programs will also require electrical and mechanical engineers, grid managers, biofuel chemists, and civil engineers. Electrical, mechanical, chemical and civil engineers made median salaries of about between $68,000-$79,000 in 2006, according to the BLS Median salaries for power plant operators were about $55,000, or about $70,000 for operators at nuclear power facilities.

7) The New Finance

Financiers should prepare to be especially flexible in 2009. "Those people will need to take a look at reinventing themselves. They'll have to figure out where else they can use their skills, and move into other industries," Varelas says. For many bankers, that will mean applying their middle or back-office operations knowledge in other businesses. How long before they can move back into their former careers? "This consolidation is going to be long Ð at least three-to-five years," Varelas says.

But don't discount finance yet. "We'll simply see shifts. There will be a shift from originating mortgages, for example, to collecting on them," Krause explains. "If interest rates go down to 4.5%, you'll also see a lot of refinancing." This will require underwriters, actuaries, and administrators.

For financial workers switching fields, an initial pay cut may come with the transition. A financial analyst who made the median 2006 income of about $66,000 and decides to become, say, a commercial loan officer will probably net about $10,000 less in 2006 dollars. However, after three years of experience, that loan officer's salary would jump to between $61,000 and $100,000, according to the BLS.

8) Self-Employment & Small Business

Replacing farmers in the self-employment demographic are growing numbers of people "who don't want to be employees anymore," says Katy Piotrowski, a career counselor and author of The Career Coward's Guide to Changing Careers. "I'm seeing a lot of people buying franchises, or setting up arrangements that involve multiple online businesses," she says.