John Freeman took that gamble a few years ago. The 62-year-old retired computer analyst dropped his health care insurance because the high monthly premiums and a huge deductible were eating up his retirement savings.

VOA: standard.2010.04.08

Inside a low-rise office building in Monterrey, Mexico, hundreds of workers sit in front of computer screens, processing insurance-claims data all day.

FORBES: The human factor

But since real-estate professionals tend to be salespeople at heart and the market for sales aces is growing, making a switch to sales roles in other, more robust industries such as insurance, pharmaceuticals and computer software, is usually possible, says Jay Hargis, founder and managing partner of Talent Insight Group, a human-resources consulting firm.

WSJ: In a Sinking Industry? Jump to Another Ship

The evidence is equally clear that computer-using industries like finance, insurance, real-estate and other services have continued to lag in productivity growth.

ECONOMIST: Productivity on stilts