I used to think my younger sister had a "safe" job. She's a radiology technician at a pretty big hospital. We all need hospitals, X-rays and other scans from time to time, right?

I used to think my older sister had a safe job. She's a middle school health and physical education teacher. Has been there for more years than she'd care for me to mention. That has to be secure, right?

But these days, maybe not — in Maine and just about anywhere.

MaineGeneral Hospital is talking about relocating its Augusta facility and consolidating. Other Maine hospitals say their patient counts are down so they cut back as well.

Public school teachers across our state are worried about tightening school budgets and Gov. Baldacci's consolidation plan will bring about big changes — but we don't know what those are, quite yet.

Then you get into the business sector. Banks, auto dealers, airlines — and media companies — are merging, changing affiliations, downsizing and being purchased at a dizzying pace.

With that in mind, staff writer Lynn Ascrizzi of the Morning Sentinel newsroom will take a look at the local and Maine economies this weekend with a special report centered around two questions: Is your job safe? Or is that an outdated concept these days?

She will examine trends in the local economy, get tips from insiders and ask experts to name the 10 most promising fields for employment. It promises to be a readable piece that we all can benefit from reading.