Want Job Security? Avoid These 3 Jobs

By Gina Belli

The job market as a whole is showing some good signs of recovery from the Great Recession. But, that recovery hasn't looked the same across the board. It has varied widely by region, for example. Similarly, industries are progressing (or regressing) at different rates. If you're contemplating changing careers – or just want to know whether your current occupation offers a good future – it pays to know which jobs have the highest unemployment rates.

24/7 Wall St. recently compiled a list of the best and worst jobs according to their job security. They identified the 25 occupations with the highest job security and the 25 with the lowest. In order to generate these lists, the site analyzed unemployment rates across 310 occupations with a labor force greater than 65,000. Let's take a closer look at their findings and try to understand a little more about the current state of each of these occupations.

The three occupations with the worst job security:

1. Actors. Unemployment rate: 26.1 percent.

Unemployment rates for actors are high because there are so many more people who want these jobs than there are jobs available. This circumstance isn't likely to change anytime soon, so folks would be wise to consider working toward a backup career option as well when pursuing employment in this highly competitive field.

2. Construction helpers. Unemployment rate: 22.3 percent.

This occupation requires little in the way of specialized education and training, but the pay is also quite low. In addition, fluctuations in the industry have left employers cautious about hiring more people than absolutely necessary, which means there aren't enough jobs to go around. The folks toward the bottom of the construction industry employment ladder might be some of the last to see real recovery in their field.

3. Telemarketers. Unemployment rate: 22.1 percent.

High turnover rates for this job might help to explain the high unemployment figures. Another potential explanation is that the industry is changing, turning more toward email marketing and moving away from phone solicitations. Either way, folks working in this industry would be wise to consider pursuing an alternate path.

The three jobs with the best job security:

1. Dentists. Unemployment rate: 0.1 percent.

According to this report, dentists have the best job security in all the land. They also enjoy a hefty income, about $124,000 annually according to PayScale's data. Dentists receive a serious amount of training and education in order to land their secure positions. The need for dental care, across the country, isn't likely to change anytime soon either.

2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives. Unemployment rate: 0.3 percent.

While these folks make less than half (about $55,000 per year according to PayScale's data) of what those in the No. 1 slot earn, first-line supervisors of police and detectives have incredible job security with just 0.3 percent of the occupation's labor force looking for work. The majority of these positions tend to be located in major metropolitan areas.

3. Veterinarian. Unemployment rate: 0.4 percent.

Another job from the "healthcare practitioners and technical occupations" category rounds out the top three. Like dentists, veterinarians also receive a lot of training and schooling and are rewarded with relatively high salaries (about $73,000 annually according to PayScale).

Be sure to check out the full list from 24/7 Wall St. for more information.