Job security?

I often hear that nursing is a great field to go into because I will never have to worry about the job market.  Lately, I have been getting a bit nervous about my potential job choices upon my graduating from nursing school.  It is no secret that in the past few years the economy has suffered a great deal.  Employment rates are low as are job prospects for the average college graduate. Never would I imagine that nursing would be included into this category, but I am finding that some of my graduate friends are having difficulty finding jobs.  So I ask myself, am I going to have to worry about my job security as a nurse?  Am I going to have a difficult time finding a job when I graduate?  This is a terrifying thought for me.  For the past four years, I have been working tirelessly to get through school….to obtain the key to my future; my degree.  A few hospitals in the Chicagoland area where I reside are experiencing cutbacks and hiring freezes to cut costs.  Although floors still remain understaffed and shortage of nurses is apparent, these institutions are now holding back.  How safe is this for patients?  How safe is this for the nurses and staff working in these institutions?  These are some of the questions that pop into my mind when we are living among unsteady economic times.  I am starting to get really concerned that I will not be able to find a job when I graduate from school.  I see classified ads in the newspapers for RN’s for hire, but they usually are for an experienced RN.  So what is a graduate nurse to do?  How can we get the job if jobs only want the experienced?  So many unanswered questions.