29 Jobs On the Decline
In the past, we’ve usually featured here in FCS all the hot and fast-growth careers that you can choose from. This time, we’ll let you know which ones are expected to decline based on 10-year forecasts by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to help you decide what jobs may not be viable long-term, especially if you’re looking for sustained career growth.
What’s driving this downward trend? Advances in technology, specifically automation of work one done or overseen by humans. If you’d notice, many of the jobs listed below involve a measure of manual work or manual operation of machines, and they fall mostly under (1) production and (2) office and administrative support jobs.
Apart from these two, the following occupational groups will also experience a downtrend: farming, fishing and forestry; transportation and material moving occupations; sales and related occupations; and some professional and related occupations.
The BLS 2006-2016 projections for these specific jobs should give you a pause:
1. Stock clerks and order fillers – Employment is expected to decrease by 7.7 percent—from about 1.7 million workers in 2006 to only 1.6 million in 2016 or 131,000 workers less.
2. Cashiers, except gaming – From 3.5 million workers in 2006 to only 3.3 million cashiers in 2016; employment will also decrease by about 3.4 percent (or 118, 000 less workers).
3. Packers and packagers, hand – from 834,000 workers in 2006 to 730,000 workers in 2016; employment in this industry is expected to decrease by 12.4 percent or 104,000.
4. File clerks- From 234,000 workers in 2006 to only 137,000 workers in 2016; employment for clerks is expected to decline drastically by 41.3 percent or 97,000 workers less.
5. Farmers and ranchers – From 1.06 million workers in 2006 to only 969,000 in 2016; employment is expected to decrease by 8.5 percent or 90,000 less workers.
6. Order clerks- From 271,000 workers in 2006 to only 205,000 workers in 2016; employment is expected to decrease 24.3 percent or 66,000 will no longer be order clerks.
7. Sewing machine operators- From 233,000 workers in 2006, it is expected that by 2016 sewing machine operators will account tor only 170,000 positions; employment is expected to decrease by 27.2 percent or 63,000 less workers.
8. Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers- From 213,000 workers in 2006 to only 156,000 workers in 2016; employment for this industry is expected to decrease by 26.8 percent or 57,000 workers less.
9. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic- 272,000 workers in 2006 will dwindle to only 23,000 workers by 2016; employment in this industry is expected to decrease by 14.9 percent or less 40,000 workers.
10. Telemarketers - In 2006, there were 395,000 telemarketers accounted for, but by 2016, it’s expected that the industry will lose some 39,000 workers, or only 356,000 telemarketers by that year (a 9.9 percent decrease).
11. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers – From 491,000 workers in 2006 to only 457,000 workers in 2016; employment is expected to decrease by 7 percent or 35,000 less workers.
12. First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers – from 699,000 workers in 2006 to only 665,000 workers in this industry; employment is expected to decrease by 4.8 percent or 34,000 less workers.
13. Computer operators- from 130,000 computer operators in 2006 to 98,000 in 2016; employment will decrease by 24.7 percent or 32,000 less workers.
14. Photographic processing machine operators- 49,000 workers in 2006 to 25,000 in 2016; employment is expected to severely decrease by 49.8 percent or 25,000 less workers.
15. Driver/sales workers- 445,000 workers in 2006 to 421,000 in 2016; employment will decrease for drivers/sales workers by 5.3 percent (or 24,000 workers less).
16. Machine feeders and offbearers – from 148,000 workers in 2006 to only 125,000; employment for this kind of job is expected to decrease by 15.2 percent or 22,000 less workers.
17. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders- 386,000 workers in 2006 to 365,000 in 2006; employment is projected to decrease by 5.4 percent or 21,000 less workers.
18. Word processors and typists – from 179,000 workers in 2006 to only 158,000 in 2016; employment is expected to decrease by 11.6 percent or a difference of 21,000 word processors and typists.
19. Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders- from 113,000 workers in 20016 to 93,000; employment is expected to decrease by 18.2 percent or 21, 000 less workers.
20. Farm workers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse - from 603,000 workers in 2006 to 583,000 in 2016; employment for these careers are expected to decrease by 3.4 percent or 20,000 less workers.
21. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic – from 157,000 workers in 2006 to only 137,000 in 2016; employment is expected to decrease in this industry by 12.8 percent or 20,000 less workers.
22. Computer programmers – from 435,000 workers in 2006 to 417,000 in 2016; employment will decrease by 4.1 percent or 18,000 less computer programmers.
23. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service – from 152,000 workers in 2006 to only 134,000 in 2016; employment for these careers is expected to decrease by 11.6 or 18,000 less workers.
24. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators- from 198,000 workers, it is expected in 2016 the number of these workers will only account 181,000 in 2016; employment is projected to decrease by 8.4 percent or 17,000 less workers.
25. Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders metal and plastic- 68,000 workers in 2006 to only 52,000 in 2016; employment of these careers is expected to decrease by 23.3 percent or 16,000 less workers.
26. Prepress technicians and workers – from 71,000 workers in 2006 to only 56,000 in 2016; employment for prepress technicians and workers are expected to decrease by 21.1 percent or15, 000 less workers.
27. Switchboard operators, including answering service – from 177,000 workers in 2006 to only 163,000 in 2016; employment is projected to decline by 8.4 percent or 15,000 less workers.
28. Data entry keyers- from 313,000 workers in 2006 to 299,000 in 2016; employment for data entry keyers is expected to decrease by 4.7 or 15,000 less workers.
29. Bindery workers – from 65,000 workers in 2006 to only 51,000 in 2016; employment is projected to decrease by 21.8 percent or 51,000 less bindery workers.
If you’re working in any of these industries, don’t get glum over this bleak forecast. Instead, use this information to your advantage.
Remember, as consumer habits change and technology advances, demands for different types of jobs also change. To remain competitive, one must keep up with these trends. What exactly can you do?
The BLS data also showed that half of these declining jobs entailed only short-term, on the job training. The best thing that you can do is to keep upgrading your skills. Either you shift to the high-growth, rising careers we regularly feature here, or become the best in your current field of work.
No time to go back to school? Why not learn online?
