In response to the 2008 global financial crisis, the UK’s Conservative Party-led coalition government has embarked on a financial policy of strict austerity in recent years. Whether you agree with this policy or not, its intention is to reduce public spending and the deficit, with the ultimate goal of bringing the country to a position where it can eliminate the budget deficit altogether. They have used the slogan “In This Together” both as a reference to their unlikely coalition cooperation and to the hard and austere times that the people of the UK would have to endure for better or worse under their rule. The measures have damaged many small and large companies, as well as entire sectors, and apparently no one got through completely unscathed.
However, certain professions are said to be “recession-proof” in the sense that they will always be needed no matter how the economy goes because they provide a service that is vital to people’s daily lives. Additionally, there are even professions that will specifically benefit from tough economic times such as bailiffs, bail bondsmen, and even in some accountants. However, one profession I would not have expected to find on this list would have been personal trainer. You would have assumed that in tough economic times, people are far more concerned with feeding their families and paying the bills than getting in shape and working on their fitness. Apparently, however, he would have been dead wrong.
From what I can tell and the evidence suggests, personal trainers are thriving, providing personalized fitness advice and coaching is a real growth industry. All you have to do is search any job search website to see the dozens of ads posted looking to hire personal trainers. Searching for a reason for this, the first thing that came to mind was that perhaps people’s tendency to be more interested in their fitness and appearance was outweighing any potential harm caused by current economic conditions. Perhaps they would be better off in more prosperous times thanks to a new greater emphasis, particularly on men to work on their bodies and improve their fitness. However, then I thought that perhaps the reason for its apparent immunity to recession is that it is simply not as strongly tied to the public’s economic fortunes as might be thought.
Because another important angle to consider might simply be that those who might have been inclined to hire a personal trainer don’t overlap much with those who feel the pinch of austerity. Which means that anyone who can afford the services of a personal trainer, which is of course a luxury, must surely have more financial security in order not to suffer the drawbacks of the global economic downturn. This might just be a picture of the richest, but it’s certainly because austere conditions in recent years have done little to affect the personal trainer’s customer base.
Whatever the reason for the success of this profession, it’s not clear if personal trainers will continue to thrive in the future or how long they’ll be able to withstand the ebb and flow of the global economy, but one thing is for sure: it’s a great time to be a trainer. personal trainer
