​If you follow U.S. news headlines, you may see stories about the nation heading into a recession. The United States economy just had a second quarter of negative growth, which is often considered an indication of a recession.

Although there are debates about whether the economy is in a recession, it’s accurate to say it has weakened, according to a recent article from NPR. While it’s clear the U.S. economy is slowing, it still added 372,000 jobs and kept a low unemployment rate of 3.6 percent in June.

What does a possible recession mean for the nursing profession in the U.S.? And is this a good time for international nurses to consider nursing jobs in the USA?

A 2017 study that examined data from the Occupational Employment Statistics survey during The Great Recession – which began in December 2007 and ended in 2009 – shows that nursing employment and compensation increased during the recession. The study concluded that although employment across the U.S. declined substantially, registered nursing saw a steady growth. This is why you might hear the nursing profession described as “recession-proof.”

Time will tell if the U.S. officially goes into a recession, but if we learn from the past, U.S. nursing jobs appear to be safe from its effects.