20 Jobs That Are Unlikely To Exist in 10 Years — and How To Make Money Instead

Martin Dasko

1 June 2024 at 5:00 pm·8-min read

According to the most recent report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics declared that the American economy added 175,000 jobs in April, the slowest increase in six months.

Find Out: Here’s What the US Minimum Wage Was the Year You Were Born

Check Out: 5 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money (That Actually Work)

The unemployment rate reached 3.9%, and the data indicated that the labor market has cooled off from earlier this year.

With those numbers in mind and college graduation season upon us, GOBankingRates decided to take a look at the future of the job market and making money.

Using BLS projections from 2022 to 2032, here are 20 jobs that are unlikely to exist in 10 years and jobs that you should focus on instead.

Chainarong Prasertthai / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Why Some Jobs Might Not Exist in the Future

Certain types of work might not exist in the future due to technology, automation, evolving industry needs, changing consumer behavior and environmental shifts.

“Tasks that are repetitive and manual are prime candidates for automation,” said Justin Marcus, CEO and co-founder of Big 4 Talent. “The shift towards digital communication and advanced technology reduces the need for traditional roles such as telephone operators, making them obsolete.”

Technology increasingly replaces roles such as word processors, telephone operators and anything that can be automated.

Marcus added, “As industries move towards sustainability, jobs heavily reliant on non-renewable resources, such as certain mining positions, are being phased out in favor of greener alternatives.”

Here are jobs that might disappear over the next decade.

Discover More: Barbara Corcoran’s 5 Best Passive Income Ideas

Explore More: Tony Robbins’ 10 Passive Income Ideas To Build Your Fortune

Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.

Word Processors and Typists

2022 Total Employment: 44,000
Projected Change in Number: -17,000
Projected Change Percent: -38.6%

Watch and Clock Repairers

2022 Total Employment: 2,100
Projected Change in Number: -600
Projected Change Percent: -29.8%

Roof Bolters

2022 Total Employment: 1,800
Projected Change in Number: -500
Projected Change Percent: -28.5%

Cutters and Trimmers (Hand)

2022 Total Employment: 8,300
Projected Change in Number: -2,300
Projected Change Percent: -28.2%

Telephone Operators

2022 Total Employment: 4,100
Projected Change in Number: -1,100
Projected Change Percent: -26.6%

Check Out: 6 Cheap Hobbies To Start in 2024 That Will Make You Extra Money

Data Entry People

2022 Total Employment: 165,600
Projected Change in Number: 43,100
Projected Change Percent: -26.0%

Switchboard Operators

2022 Total Employment: 48,400
Projected Change in Number: -12,100
Projected Change Percent: -25.1%

Foundry Mold and Coremakers

2022 Total Employment: 11,500
Projected Change in Number: -2,700
Projected Change Percent: -23.5%

Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

2022 Total Employment: 161,400
Projected Change in Number: -35,300
Projected Change Percent: -21.8%

Learn More: How To Generate Passive Income With Just $1,000

Pressers, Textile, Garment and Related Workers

2022 Total Employment: 29,800
Projected Change in Number: -6,500
Projected Change Percent: -21.8%

Patternmakers (Metal and Plastic)

2022 Total Employment: 2,300
Projected Change in Number: -500
Projected Change Percent: -21.6%

Refractory Materials Repairers

2022 Total Employment: 600
Projected Change in Number: -100
Projected Change Percent: -21.4%

Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

2022 Total Employment: 511,100
Projected Change in Number: -108,100
Projected Change Percent: -21.1%

Find Out: ‘Rich Dad’ Robert Kiyosaki’s 8 Assets To Get So Rich You Can Quit Your Job Forever

Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers

2022 Total Employment: 4,100
Projected Change in Number: -900
Projected Change Percent: -21.0%

Telemarketers

2022 Total Employment: 97,700
Projected Change in Number: -20,100
Projected Change Percent: -20.6%

Grinding and Polishing Workers

2022 Total Employment: 14,500
Projected Change in Number: -2,800
Projected Change Percent: -19.5%

audioundwerbung / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Engine and Other Machine Assemblers

2022 Total Employment: 50,900
Projected Change in Number: -9,600
Projected Change Percent: -18.9%

Model Makers (Metal and Plastic)

2022 Total Employment: 3,400
Projected Change in Number: -600
Projected Change Percent: -18.8%

Discover More: I Earn Over $30K a Week in Semi-Passive Income on Amazon – Here’s How

Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters

2022 Total Employment: 400
Projected Change in Number: -100
Projected Change Percent: -18.7%

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators and Tenders

2022 Total Employment: 6,600
Projected Change in Number: -1,200
Projected Change Percent: -18.3%

How To Make Money Instead

Some jobs will grow as demands shift and technology changes over the next decade. With organizations relying heavily on data analytics, the demand for positions in related fields will increase.

“The surge in online shopping continues to drive growth in e-commerce platforms and logistics management,” Marcus said. “Roles in supply chain optimization and fulfillment center operations are expanding rapidly.”

With an aging population and the growing complexity of financial planning, many roles in these industries will have to be filled.

Here are 20 jobs that likely will grow in the next decade.

Wind Turbine Service Technicians

2022 Total Employment: 11,200
Projected Change in Number: 5,000
Projected Change Percent: 44.9%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $57,320

Learn More: Here’s How Much the Definition of Middle Class Has Changed in Every State

Nurse Practitioners

2022 Total Employment: 266,300
Projected Change in Number: 118,600
Projected Change Percent: 44.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $121,610

Data Scientists

2022 Total Employment: 168,900
Projected Change in Number: 59,400
Projected Change Percent: 35.2%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $103,500

Statisticians

2022 Total Employment: 33,300
Projected Change in Number: 10,500
Projected Change Percent: 31.6%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $98,920

Information Security Analysts

2022 Total Employment: 168,900
Projected Change in Number: 53,200
Projected Change Percent: 31.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $112,000

Find Out: 6 Reasons the Poor Stay Poor and Middle Class Doesn’t Become Wealthy

Medical and Health Services Managers

2022 Total Employment: 509,500
Projected Change in Number: 144,700
Projected Change Percent: 28.4%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $104,830

Epidemiologists

2022 Total Employment: 10,000
Projected Change in Number: 2,700
Projected Change Percent: 26.7%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $78,520

Physician Assistants

2022 Total Employment: 148,000
Projected Change in Number: 39,300
Projected Change Percent: 26.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $126,010

Physical Therapist Assistants

2022 Total Employment: 100,700
Projected Change in Number: 26,300
Projected Change Percent: 26.1%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $62,770

See More: Net Worth for Gen X — How To Tell If You’re Poor, Middle Class, Upper Middle Class or Rich

Software Developers

2022 Total Employment: 1,594,500
Projected Change in Number: 410,400
Projected Change Percent: 25.7%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $127,260

Occupational Therapy Assistants

2022 Total Employment: 45,100
Projected Change in Number: 10,800
Projected Change Percent: 24.0%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $64,250

Actuaries

2022 Total Employment: 30,000
Projected Change in Number: 7,000
Projected Change Percent: 23.2%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $113,990

Computer and Information Research Scientists

2022 Total Employment: 36,500
Projected Change in Number: 8,300
Projected Change Percent: 22.7%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $136,620

Explore More: The 50 Happiest States in America and How Much It Costs to Live There

Operations Research Analysts

2022 Total Employment: 109,900
Projected Change in Number: 24,700
Projected Change Percent: 22.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $85,720

Solar Photovoltaic Installers

2022 Total Employment: 29,400
Projected Change in Number: 6,600
Projected Change Percent: 22.3%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $45,230

Home Health and Personal Care Aides

2022 Total Employment: 3,715,500
Projected Change in Number: 804,500
Projected Change Percent: 21.7%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $30,180

Taxi Drivers

2022 Total Employment: 177,300
Projected Change in Number: 36,400
Projected Change Percent: 20.6%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $30,670

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

2022 Total Employment: 122,900
Projected Change in Number: 25,200
Projected Change Percent: 20.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $38,240

Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

2022 Total Employment: 114,800
Projected Change in Number: 23,500
Projected Change Percent: 20.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $34,740

Personal Care and Service Workers (All Other)

2022 Total Employment: 87,000
Projected Change in Number: 17,900
Projected Change Percent: 20.5%
2022 Median Annual Wage: $34,670

Methodology: In order to find jobs that will disappear this decade, GOBankingRates used the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ occupational projections and worker characteristics dataset to find the occupations with the largest (1) projected percent decline in employment for 2022-32. Once these jobs were identified, GOBankingRates also found the following factors for each occupation: (2) 2022 total employment; (3) total employment change projection for 2022-32; (4) 2022 median annual wage; (5) typical entry-level education required; (6) work experience in a related occupation required; and (7) typical on-the-job training required. GOBankinRates also found the same data for the 20 fastest-growing jobs. All data was sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is up to date as of Feb. 28, 2024.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Jobs That Are Unlikely To Exist in 10 Years — and How To Make Money Instead

Associated Press
Chinese firms eye Morocco as way to cash in on US electric vehicle subsidies
After the United States passed new subsidies designed to boost domestic electric vehicle production and cut into Beijing’s supply chain dominance, Chinese manufacturers began investing in an unlikely place: Morocco. In the rolling hills near Tangiers and in industrial parks near the Atlantic Ocean, they have announced plans for new factories to make parts for EVs that may qualify for $7,500 credits to car buyers in the United States. Similar investments have been announced in other countries that share free trade agreements with the United States, including South Korea and Mexico.
BuzzFeed
26 Extremelyyyyyy Useful Industry Hacks That Companies Don't Want Customers To Know
"I've flown round trip to Chicago for $30, Houston for $45, Miami for $50, etc."
GOBankingRates
I’m a Financial Expert: 5 Signs You’re Financially Ready for Retirement in 2024
For many people, retirement may seem like a far-off accomplishment, a glorious place that looms over a distant horizon. However, you might be in a position to close the gap and round the curve into...
Reuters
German car industry urges EU to drop tariffs on China-made cars
Germany's VDA auto association urged the European Commission to drop its planned tariffs on China-made electric vehicles on Wednesday, in a last-ditch effort to influence negotiations ahead of the tariffs kicking in on Thursday. The association highlighted that the tariffs were hurting European and U.S. carmakers exporting from China and that the risk of retaliation by China with counter-tariffs would hit the German industry hard given its high volume of export to China.
Reuters
EU governments waver over Chinese EV tariffs as trade spat escalates
EU countries are wavering over whether to back additional tariffs on Chinese-built electric vehicles, highlighting Brussels' challenge in building support for its largest trade case yet as Beijing threatens wide-ranging retaliation. Germany, whose carmakers made a third of their sales last year in China, wants to stop the tariffs, according to a government source, while France has been among the firmest backers. The issue will be put to members in an advisory vote in the coming weeks, the first official test of support in a landmark case for the Commission.
Reuters
Analysis-Italian firms bridge skills gap with own schooling
After years of informal work as a farm labourer, Federico Olivieri, 29, could not believe it when a huge building site appeared next to his home in Sicily with training on offer for the numerous specialised jobs required. The programme by Italy's largest construction group Webuild is among a growing number of 'academies' run and financed by companies frustrated by many job-seekers lacking the know-how. Skill mismatches are an international problem but for Italy, with the lowest employment rate in the EU and productivity that has stagnated for more than two decades, it is acute.
SmartAsset
How to Master the Last 5 Years Before Retirement
Retirement can seem like a faraway goal until all of a sudden, it's not. When you only have a few years left until you retire, the financial decisions you make take on a new importance. Once you're inside the five-year window, that's a good time to review your plan to make sure you're on track. […] The post How to Master the Last 5 Years Before Retirement appeared first on SmartReads CMS - SmartAsset.
WSJ
Chinese Imports Are Rising Again. Here’s What It Means for U.S. Jobs
Cheap Chinese goods helped keep inflation low in the early 2000s, but at the cost of U.S. manufacturing. As those imports surge again, here’s what’s changed and what it means for American jobs.
Reuters
Russia's pipeline gas exports to Europe jump in June from last year
Russian energy giant Gazprom's average daily natural gas supplies to Europe jumped by almost 23% in June from a year earlier, rebounding from last year's post-Soviet lows, although they fell 8.6% from May, Reuters calculations showed on Tuesday. Exports were lower last month than in the previous month amid planned maintenance at the TurkStream undersea pipeline on June 6-9. The calculations, based on data from the European gas transmission group Entsog and Gazprom's daily reports on gas transit via Ukraine, showed that average daily pipeline exports decreased to 81.8 million cubic metres (mcm) last month from 89.5 mcm in May, but they were up from the 66.8 mcm in June 2023.
GOBankingRates
Mark Cuban’s Best Advice on How To Become Rich
Mark Cuban, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and "Shark Tank" shark, knows a little something about being rich. According to Forbes, Cuban has a net worth of $5.4 billion. He also has advice for...
Yahoo Finance
Oil prices rise amid Hurricane Beryl concerns, Middle East tensions
Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 storm on record. It's increasingly threatening to disrupt the oil market.
Yahoo Finance Video
Meta stock dips after allegedly breaching EU antitrust rules
Shares of Meta (META) are dipping after European Union regulators issued a preliminary finding accusing the company of violating the Digital Markets Act. The antitrust issue in question is the company's recently introduced ad-supported social networking service. Yahoo Finance Reporter Dan Howley joins Catalysts to analyze the European regulatory agency's preliminary finding and what it means for Meta moving forward. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Catalysts. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino
Reuters Videos
Spirit Aero to be broken up in $4.7 bln Boeing deal
STORY: Boeing said Monday it will buy its supplier Spirit Aerosystems for $4.7 billion.The U.S. planemaker moved after a crisis caused by a mid-air blowout on a 737 MAX jet led to questions over quality.Boeing rival Airbus has also agreed to take on the supplier's loss-making Europe-focused activities, in return for hundreds of millions of dollars of compensation.Boeing spun off Spirit in 2005, and has long considered a buyback.The decision to go ahead now comes as the aerospace giant tries to resolve a crisis at one of the industry's key suppliers.January's blowout incident involved a door plug made by Spirit, and contributed to a major slowdown in output at Boeing.The planemaker announced the planned departure of CEO Dave Calhoun in the wake of the crisis.Now the deal is due to close around midway through next year, and is seen as an effort to address its safety problems and shore up its production line.Airbus is also a Spirit customer, and didn't want arch-rival Boeing building parts for its latest jets. It has now confirmed it will take over core activities at four of the supplier's plants to avoid that.Sources said the move was loosely coordinated between the three companies. Airbus said it would receive $559 million in compensation from Spirit, depending on the final outlines of the deal.
Investing.com
Oil prices steady amid summer demand hopes, supply risks
Investing.com-- Oil prices steadied in Asian trade on Tuesday after running up sharply in recent sessions as traders bet on increased demand during the Independence Day holiday and potential supply risks from geopolitics and weather-related disruptions.
Reuters
Tipped off: American consumers grapple with tip creep
When Ted Rossman was at Newark Airport in New Jersey the other day, he got a shock along with his sandwich. Rossman, a senior industry analyst for financial information site Bankrate, went to a self-serve kiosk for a snack before a flight, scanned the item himself, and was asked for a tip. Which is why Americans are apparently fed up, according to a new Bankrate survey on the subject.
CNN Business
There is no end in sight for China’s uneven economic recovery
Factory activity among China’s private firms expanded at the fastest pace in three years, a private gauge showed Monday. But an official survey of bigger business showed activity shrinking.
Reuters
German industry turns to solar in race to cut energy costs
For months, Philip Matthias tried to convince his father to install solar panels on their company's roof in the eastern German state of Thuringia, aiming to cut electricity costs and carbon emissions at the metal products factory. Since the war in Ukraine and the sudden drop in Russia fossil fuel exports to Germany, Berlin has introduced laws to accelerate solar power expansion, part of its plan to cover 80% of the country's energy from renewables by 2030. Encouraged by a feed-in tariff providing a guaranteed price to renewable energy producers selling their power, as well as reduced solar panel costs, German companies are increasingly turning to solar to get around high energy costs.
Reuters
Hyundai Motor, LG Energy Solution launch Indonesia's first EV battery plant
JAKARTA (Reuters) -South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) on Wednesday inaugurated Indonesia's first battery cell production plant for electric vehicles with an annual capacity of 10 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery cells. The plant is part of a commitment by Hyundai Motor and LGES to invest up to $9.8 billion in Southeast Asia's largest economy to develop an EV supply chain, the Indonesian government said, to benefit from rich resources of nickel and copper.
Zacks
U.S. EV Battery Plants to Spark a New Era in E-Mobility
Read on to know about the battery production investments currently underway in the United States by major automakers including TSLA, GM, F, TM and STLA.
WWD
Richemont Names New CEOs for Top Brands Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels
In a rapid-fire series of internal appointments, Richemont has named Louis Ferla CEO of Cartier, and has tapped Catherine Rénier for the top job at Van Cleef & Arpels.