When the economy is in turmoil, certain skills become invaluable for survival and adapting to a changing world. These aren’t necessarily high-tech or specialized talents, they’re practical abilities that can help you and others navigate difficult times. If the economy were to collapse, here are 16 skills that would likely be in high demand, allowing you to trade, barter, or simply make life easier for yourself and your community.
Food Growing and Preservation
Knowing how to grow your own food is a game-changer in tough times. Gardening skills, combined with knowledge of preserving food through canning, drying, or fermenting, can ensure a steady food supply. As grocery store shelves empty, these skills will not only feed your family but also provide valuable goods for trade.
Basic First Aid
In an economic collapse, access to healthcare might become limited. Being able to treat minor injuries, infections, or illnesses with basic first aid skills will make you an asset to your community. Understanding how to use natural remedies, like herbal medicine, can also fill the gap when pharmacies are out of stock.
Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping
Catching your own food through hunting, fishing, or trapping becomes essential when resources are scarce. These skills provide a reliable source of protein and can be shared or traded with others. Knowledge of how to clean, butcher, and cook wild game will make these skills even more valuable.
Negotiation
If money loses its value, bartering will become the primary way to exchange goods and services. Knowing how to negotiate a fair trade and understanding the relative value of items, such as food, tools, or clothing, will be critical. Strong communication skills and the ability to strike a deal will help you thrive.
Mechanics and Repair
If we get to a point where new products are no longer available, the ability to repair vehicles, machines, and tools will be indispensable. Mechanics and handymen who can fix broken equipment or improvise solutions will find their skills in high demand. Learning basic repairs now can prepare you for a world where replacement parts are hard to come by.
Carpentry
The ability to build or repair structures is another crucial skill in uncertain times. Whether it’s constructing a shelter, repairing furniture, or building essential tools, carpentry skills can be a lifesaver.
The Ability to Sew
With new clothing harder to come by, the ability to sew, mend, or repurpose old garments will become highly valuable. Knowing how to patch holes, replace zippers, or create new clothes from fabric scraps can help you and others maintain a functional wardrobe without relying on stores.
Water Sourcing
Clean water is essential for survival, and knowing how to find, collect, and purify it will make you indispensable. Skills like building a water filtration system, identifying safe water sources, and using purification tablets or boiling methods can save lives.
Cooking from Scratch
In an economic collapse, prepackaged foods and convenience items may become scarce. The ability to cook from scratch, using basic ingredients, will be essential. Bread baking, fermenting, and making meals with limited resources are all skills that will help you stretch your food supply and keep others fed.
Gardening and Seed Saving
Beyond growing food, knowing how to save seeds ensures you can keep planting year after year. Seed saving allows for sustainable food production, making it an incredibly valuable skill. Sharing or trading seeds can also build strong community connections.
Fire Starting
Fire is essential for warmth, cooking, and sterilizing water, but not everyone knows how to start one without modern tools. Mastering fire-starting techniques using flint, steel, or other methods can make you an important resource.
Energy Generation
In a world without reliable electricity, those who know how to generate power will be highly valued. Skills like setting up solar panels, building wind turbines, or creating simple battery systems can help keep essential devices running. Even knowledge of low-tech energy sources, like hand-crank generators, can make a big difference.
Leadership
During chaotic times, communities need leaders who can organize resources, mediate disputes, and maintain order. Leadership skills, including clear communication, decision-making, and empathy, will be critical for forming and maintaining strong groups. People who can bring others together and foster cooperation will be in high demand.
Tool Making and Blacksmithing
As manufactured goods become scarce, the ability to create or repair tools will be essential. Blacksmithing, knife-making, and crafting basic hand tools will allow communities to maintain self-sufficiency.
Survival Skills
General survival skills, like building a shelter, foraging for food, and navigating unfamiliar terrain, will become crucial. Knowing how to read a map, use a compass, and identify edible plants can help you and your family survive when traditional infrastructure breaks down.
Emotional Resilience
Finally, staying calm and adaptable in stressful situations is a skill in itself. People who can think critically, stay level-headed, and find creative solutions to problems will be invaluable. Emotional resilience can help you lead and support others through tough times, ensuring your survival and success in a post-collapse world.