To help you optimize your job search, here are six quick tips on what to expect in the work-at-home arena in 2009:

1. Virtual call centers will continue to recruit strongly across the U.S. Call centers led the way in home-based employment in recent years, as “homeshoring” (home-based agents) takes hold. Overall, the industry appears likely to fulfill analysts’ predictions of 300,000 at-home agents by 2010.

On the minus side, competition for home-agent positions – which was already strong – will increase as the recession continues. Improve your chances and gain customer service experience wherever you can. And set up a quiet home office, call centers insist on quiet settings.

For details, see our chart of 75-plus virtual call centers here.  

2. “Data entry jobs” and similar work-at-home scams will surge. According to our research, the ratio of work-at-home ripoffs to legitimate jobs jumped 30 percent in the past year, and now stands at 54 to 1. (In other words, for every 55 job leads we screen, only one is legitimate.)

Check work-at-home-parent forums such as WAHM.com and Work Place Like Home, as well as Military.com’s Forums, for dialogues on good and bad work-at-home opportunities. For legitimate employers in the administrative field, see our list here.

3. Freelance or project-oriented work will continue to grow. In a recession, many employers prefer to hire independent contractors (aka freelancers) on an as-needed basis rather than take on employees, who are more costly. (Employees also see reductions in their health coverage and 401(k) contributions, as employers adjust to global competition and struggle to stay competitive.)

4. Website designers and other IT specialists will continue to be in demand. More and more people are seeking to earn money on the side through self-employment, and many will need help with their websites. IT consultancies, for their part, will continue to need upper-end programming skills.

5. Direct sales opportunities such as Mary Kay, Avon, and others will have to contend with decreased discretionary spending. The price of gas is low – for the moment – which leaves a few more month-end dollars. However, layoffs, decimated housing values and high credit card interest don’t bode well for discretionary products.  

6. Home-based nursing, tutoring (especially foreign students) and teaching will continue to grow. The long-standing nursing shortage spells continuing leverage for employees, many of whom now perform telephonic triage and similar services from home. Conversational English for foreign students, also done over the phone, is a popular option in the language arena, and community college and universities, for their part, are steadily increasing online class offerings.

For more on health care and related jobs, see our list here. For developments in the teaching sector, see The Chronicle of Higher Education, and for openings in conversational English, see Idapted and ISUS.
      
For more tips on looking for home-based work, visit Military.com's Careers channel.