Company outlook: Mixed. Strong U.S. sales, thanks to the "duck" advertising campaign, are reducing the impact of continuing troubles in the company's Japanese division.
No. of employees: 3,200
Typical job/pay: Aflac is currently hiring claims auditors, an entry level job that pays $18,000 to $24,000 a year, depending on your experience.
How to get one of these lifetime jobs: It's tough. In 2001 it had 523 applications for claims auditors, and hired only about 100.
Company outlook: Strong. Fannie Mae recently reported record earnings for its fiscal year. But there are occasional attempts to remove its federal backing, which would reduce its profitability.
Company outlook: Stable. The privately held company doesn't release financial data, but demand for potato chips tends to grow a steady 2 percent a year, no matter how bad the economy is.
No. of employees: 1,050
Typical job/pay: Machine operators. Entry level laborers start at about $13 an hour.
Company outlook: Mixed. Though suffering from the manufacturing recession, the company remains profitable. It expects flat sales, and a slight profit decline in 2002.
No. of employees: 2,900 in the U.S.
Typical job/pay: Factory jobs start at a training wage of about $11 an hour.
Company outlook: Stable. Privately held SAS doesn't release financial information, but analysts say its sales appear to be stable.
No. of employees: 4,500 in the U.S.
How to get one of these lifetime jobs: It's tough. In '01 it had 25,000 applicants and hired 600. Right now it's looking for experienced technical salespeople.
Company outlook: Mixed. While staples like Ziploc bags and Glade freshener tend to be somewhat protected from business cycles, analysts say the privately held company's profits are dropping.
No. of employees: 9,500
How to get one of these lifetime jobs: There's a lot of competition. SC Johnson received 3,530 resumes last year and hired only about 140 people.
Company outlook: Mixed. New terrorism and security concerns will require changes to its low-cost, short-flight strategy, but Southwest was one of the very few airlines to eke out a profit in the 4th quarter of 2001, the worst quarter in aviation history.
No. of employees: 33,000
How to get one of these lifetime jobs: It's tough. Southwest received almost 195,000 resumes last year and hired 6,400 people.
