As computer technology has overtaken many industrial processes and replaced human jobs with automated systems, many jobs are on their way out in the 21st century, as well as positions in declining sectors. These 20 jobs have been dramatically affected and will continue to decline dramatically or become obsolete before long.
As consumption of movies, books and other digital content goes online, these five jobs have been affected. Video rental clerks are disappearing as customers can now watch movies online, receive DVDs in the mail or order them on demand. As more books become digital, librarian jobs will continue to decrease, and bookbinders and bindery workers are also losing jobs. Newspaper jobs are also changing dramatically with the digital revolution, and newspaper deliverers are less in demand as more news reading goes online and print subscriptions dwindle. Radio and television announcing jobs are rarer as companies consolidate and other media sources grow.
Electronic automation is pushing these five communications and service jobs out. Telephone operators have greatly reduced in numbers since telephone systems became automated and reduced the need for operators to transfer calls. Telemarketer positions will decline as more people opt out of sales calls and as call-blocking technology improves, according to Boston.com. While bank branches are remaining open to provide a physical presence for customers, bank teller positions are decreasing as more customers bank online and at the ATM. Toll collector and operator positions are declining as more drivers use electronic passes. More radio stations use remote programming and transmitters, eliminating radio operator jobs.
Automated and Digital
Automation and digital technology have drastically changed the mail and travel industries, affecting these two jobs. CNN commentator Douglas Rushkoff called the U.S. Postal Service "the latest casualty in digital technology's slow but steady replacement of working humans," as well as the fact that people send fewer pieces of mail every year, affecting some 600,000 workers. Travel agents have decreased in numbers since travelers have been able to book trips online and by phone. Digital and computer advances have lessened the importance of these three jobs. Computer programs and software are replacing human computer operators of all varieties and perform tasks that used to require manual data entry. A related job that is becoming extinct with the ease of word processing programs is the professional typist. As more people use digital cameras and print their own photos, photo processors are also on the way out.
The following five industrial and utility jobs are in decline due to remote operations. Manufacturing jobs in the U.S. have been on their way out for decades and are still dropping due to their shift overseas. Stock clerks and order fillers are less necessary as computers automate orders. Textile workers are becoming obsolete in the U.S. as jobs are being outsourced overseas, textiles are imported and fewer workers are needed due to greater productivity from automation. Railroad brake, signal and switch operators are giving way to remote operations. Automation in distribution is removing the need for weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers and recordkeepers.
- Utah Stories: Jobs Becoming Obsolete
- The New York Times: Once a Friendly Fixture, aTelephone Operator Finds Herself Obsolete; Sara Rimer
- Business Insider: Travel Agents Could Go the Way of the Dodo by 2016; Jill Krasny
- Macworld: 10 Obsolete Technologies to Kill in 2010; Mike Elgan
- TechRepublic: Developing the Bank Branch with Next-Generation ATMs; Mark Vernon
- CNN: Are Jobs Obsolete? Douglas Rushkoff
- Digital Book World: Librarians: a Dying Breed? Jeremy Greenfield
- Boston.com: 30 of the Fastest Declining Occupations
- Economic Policy Institute: Shifting Blame for Manufacturing Job Loss; Josh Bivens
- Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images