Final answer:
The police officer is the least likely to be laid off during a recession as law enforcement is an essential service. Other workers like carpenters, roofers, and manufacturing personnel are more vulnerable to cyclical unemployment due to economic downturns.
Step-by-step explanation:
In times of recession, different types of employees face varying levels of job security depending on the industry in which they work and the demand for their services. Among the options provided, the police officer is least likely to lose his/her job during a recession because law enforcement is considered an essential service that operates independently of the economic cycle. In contrast, occupations such as carpenters, roofers, and automobile assembly line workers are more susceptible due to their direct ties with the economic climate and consumer demand. Recession often hits the construction and manufacturing sectors hard, leading to cyclical unemployment where workers lose their jobs because of a downturn in the economy.
The following are examples of different types of unemployment:
- Cyclical unemployment: landscapers laid off during a recession due to reduced housing construction.
- Structural unemployment: coal miners laid off because of new EPA regulations.
- Frictional unemployment: a financial analyst relocating and looking for similar work in a new city.
- Structural unemployment: printers laid off because companies move their advertising online.
- Structural unemployment: factory workers laid off as plants relocate to other countries.