What's an out-of-work autoworker to do?

Become a nurse, apparently. It seems a growing number of laid-off assembly plant staff are turning to health care as a more secure career path.

"There are lots of jobs in nursing," says Dr. Linda Patrick, associate dean of nursing at the University of Windsor. "It's something people know they can go back to school for, work hard at, and then when they come out of it there will be a job waiting for them at the end of it with some measure of security."

With mass layoffs in manufacturing, nursing numbers are surging in places like Windsor, where the university has seen its enrolment numbers double in the last decade.

- Barbara Bowes, president of Bowes HR

Across the river in Detroit, North America's beleaguered car capital is taking things a step further.

The Michigan government has injected more than US$30 million since 2005 to fund accelerated nursing programs for displaced autoworkers. It's a plan aimed at finding new jobs for laid-off workers, while solving the state's severe nursing shortage at the same time.

"We've always had people come to us from the auto industry and we've always had people come to us from other industries who have had a desire to change careers midlife," Patrick says.

"But with the trend that's happening in Windsor right now, with so many people losing their jobs, I think what's happening (in Michigan) is going to happen here in greater numbers. Lots of people are coming out with buyout packages and that will give them time to decide what to do with their future."

It's not just the automotive sector that's in trouble.

Canada's airline industry is flying into turbulence as a result of high fuel prices and a strong dollar is taking its toll on manufacturing and tourism.

South of the border, even Starbucks is laying off staff.

The java giant recently announced that it will close 600 of its stores between now and November, cutting 12,000 positions.

Job experts say the mounting layoffs in the U.S. and Central Canada mean it's only a matter of time before jobs in Western Canada could be in jeopardy.

"If you take a look at what's happening in Ontario with thousands of people being laid off and all the layoffs in the U.S., there's going to be a ripple effect here and we are going to see job cuts here," says Barbara Bowes, president of Winnipeg-based Bowes HR and author of The Easy Resume Book: A Transferable Skills Approach.

"In Manitoba in particular, we're an export province and 80 per cent of all of our products go to the U.S., so the economic slowdown is definitely going to affect us."

While the West is still booming for now - Alberta alone saw 10,000 new jobs created in June and hit a record employment rate of 72 per cent according to Statistics Canada's latest numbers - Bowes says employees everywhere need to be more vigilant about watching for signs of trouble at work.

"Most workers on a day-to-day basis don't tend to pay attention to what's going on around them and they really should - not just in tough economic times but all of the time," Bowes advises.

"There are small things that you may not necessarily notice for a while, but the signs are always there and if you can see something coming, you can get ahead of it."

So how can you tell if your employer might be in trouble? A sudden tightening of pursestrings, budget cuts or a postponement of a major project are all good indicators. A change in your boss or management's demeanor and a decrease in communication are also potential red flags.

"Typically in good times you see lots of communication and as things start to become bad or worse, managers often hole themselves up in their offices and don't communicate and don't come down to the floor and mix and mingle because they're so wrapped up in the issues," says Bowes.

"Another thing to watch for is any change in your industry sector, because what's going on with your competitors is often a good indicator of what might happen. You should also keep an eye on what's happening with your customer base. Are they laying people off or downsizing? Are you losing customers or are they spending less? These things are all cause for concern."

Even if you don't see any red flags at your workplace, experts say taking steps now to recession-proof your job can only help your career.

By learning new skills or being a generalist instead of a specialist, you can increase your worth at work and lessen your chance of a layoff while increasing your job and promotion prospects. Tooting your own horn can't hurt either.

"Really look at your accomplishments, make a list of what you've achieved in the role and make sure people know about it," Bowes adds. "Self-promotion is really important and it's something you should be consistently doing at work, not just to inoculate yourself against a recession, but to be more successful in your job."

If the worst still happens and you get laid off, the most important thing you can do is have an up-to-date resumé ready to go.

"I was working with someone (recently) who was laid off after 15 years with his company, so his resumé was 15 years old," explains Bowes. "It doesn't matter how long you've been with the company, you need to keep your resumé current and you need to keep records of all the training courses and certificates you may have done - because once you're out the door, you may no longer have access to them."

One of the best ways to get back on track after a layoff is through networking. Crucial to career success, Bowes says she's constantly surprised at how many people let their network go after they've been in a job for awhile.

"If you let your network go, you won't have it after a layoff when you need it the most, so my advice is to keep that network going all the time. But if you have let your network slide, get it going right away because often that's where you're going to find your next job - someone who knows someone."

If finding a job in your current field isn't possible or doesn't appeal to you, a layoff may be just the incentive you need to start a new career.

Whether you're thinking of striking out on your own or going back to school, the good news is that there are lots of fields - such as nursing - now hiring.

"The huge shortage of nurses isn't just in Canada and the U.S. but across the globe and it's only going to get worse," Dr. Patrick says. "That demand will continue to increase in the years to come and as it does, I think we will see even more people deciding to make the career change to a field that has so much opportunity."

(Tess van Straaten can be reached at tess@businessedge.ca)