For fun: 20 Disappearing Jobs in Near Future

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Post Office Workers
Loan Officers/Insurance Agents
College Professors/Teachers (not sure I agree, but this is due to online teaching)
Cashiers
Travel Agents
Voiceover Artists
Tele Marketers
Librarian (digital taking over)
Fast Food Workers
Property Advisors/Dealers
Software Developers (artificial intelligence
Taxi, bus drivers (cars won't need drivers)
Waiters (robots)
Accountants (software replacement)
Stock Exchange Broekers
Farmers (machines will replace humans)j
Telephone Operators
Typists (replaced by robots)
Tellers
Factory Workers


This is from 20 to 1. Do you agree? Disagree?
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
Are there any telephone operators left?

My mom retired from one of the “Baby Bells” the year they switched over to automated, more than 15-18 years ago. No one needs 411 anymore. Do they still even have that?

Cashiers are already being replaced by self-check outs, so fewer will be needed in the future. My local store doesn’t have any self-check stands, but most places do, now. Fast food workers and waiters could be replaced by self-service kiosks, at some point, though that seems so impersonal and less enjoyable, at least at restaurants.

I’m surprised there are any travel agencies left. I book online.

Self-driving cars and trucks could put a lot of people out of work, including delivery drivers and long-haul truck drivers.

Drones may be delivering mail and packages, soon.

The internet has made buying/selling real estate much easier, and lots of people don’t think giving someone 5/6/7% for listing your property is worth the cost anymore.

Same for a loan, insurance, etc.

Telemarketers—we can only hope!

Farms are definitely being automated. I know of very few farmers in my area who use seasonal workers. Some crops are more labor-intensive than others, though. Many tobacco farmers use seasonal labor. Back when I was young, we did it all ourselves, though.

My son is really into Artificial Intelligence as the wave of the future, and he talks about many software/coding jobs that will be going away, among others. He is of the mind that, while some jobs will go and new ones will be created, that there won’t be nearly enough new jobs (especially low-skilled). He does advocate for a universal basic income at some point in the future.

Schools really need to rethink things for the 21st Century.

I wonder if department stores, grocery stores, even big box store will give way to online shopping altogether. They say that Black Friday shopping in stores was down this past season, and online shopping went up.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Malls are being wiped out.i think o line will eventually wipe out most retail. Millennials know no other way. I can see online grocery shopping too.

Casheiring will be gone. Drivers too. Teachers very much less needed as online classes and courses and schools happen.

I didn't think there were phone operators either!
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
A lot of this stuff has been said for years - "Robots will take our jobs!!!" Yeah...no. At least not in the next 50 years. Not sure what I think of this list really. Sure, we're headed to a lot of automation, but jobs disappear altogether? No.

Post Office Workers - Eventually most everything will be email, but people will always ship packages. They need to start concentrating on that.

Loan Officers/Insurance Agents - I assume you mean they'll just be on-line? But there are real people there doing the work. I think they'll change to on-line, I doubt they'll disappear altogether.

College Professors/Teachers (not sure I agree, but this is due to online teaching) - again, real professors teach real people. The way class is conducted is changing.

Cashiers - sadly yes.

Travel Agents - probably

Voiceover Artists - Why would they disappear? Are they going to stop making cartoons and other things?

Tele Marketers - God I hope so...and their automated form too!

Librarian (digital taking over) - this saddens me.

Fast Food Workers - Again, why? Aren't people still going to eat? Even with self-serve, you need people to cook the food and clean up. They might not take the orders, but there will be work in the food industry.

Property Advisors/Dealers - I guess I just don't know what this is.

Software Developers (artificial intelligence) - yeah...no. Skynet won't be taking over anytime soon. If anything, MORE software will be needed.

Taxi, bus drivers (cars won't need drivers) - eventually.

Waiters (robots) - NO don't believe this.

Accountants (software replacement) - Hmmm. Not sure.

Stock Exchange Brokers - again, not sure.

Farmers (machines will replace humans) - They've been saying that for ages. Not gonna happen.

Telephone Operators - Are there any? I can't remember the last time I dialed "O".

Typists (replaced by robots) - No...I don't see that. Does this suggest everything will be talk-to-text? Eh...maybe.

Tellers - Probably eventually.

Factory Workers - Just fewer, not none.

If things get that automated while I live, just shoot me. Or will there be a robot for that too? I'm ready to move to the middle of nowhere and become a hermit just reading this.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
It’s not that there won’t be waiters and loan officers— there will just be less of them needed, as more is done on the customer’s end online or on the kiosk.

As farms are automated—less workers needed.

I don’t think that robots, necessarily, will be taking over. It’s just that fewer people will be needed in some areas.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Lil I will move with you.

But I do think most jobs will exist but there will be far fewer of all. This is already true in some fields

On the topic of telemarketers, I actually preferred live ones that didn't call back the next day with a new number after I blocked the first one.
 

Pink Elephant

Well-Known Member
Post Office Workers
Loan Officers/Insurance Agents
College Professors/Teachers (not sure I agree, but this is due to online teaching)
Cashiers
Travel Agents
Voiceover Artists
Tele Marketers
Librarian (digital taking over)
Fast Food Workers
Property Advisors/Dealers
Software Developers (artificial intelligence
Taxi, bus drivers (cars won't need drivers)
Waiters (robots)
Accountants (software replacement)
Stock Exchange Broekers
Farmers (machines will replace humans)j
Telephone Operators
Typists (replaced by robots)
Tellers
Factory Workers


This is from 20 to 1. Do you agree? Disagree?
Totally agree. Great list. :)
 

Kathy813

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I am not sure I agree with the teacher one. I am an online teacher but I am still a teacher. Teachers will be needed whether it is a brick-and-mortar or a virtual classroom.

I agree with most of the others but I don't see robots replacing waiters. I just can see a fine dining experience where a robot brings the food to the table. I do see changes in things like how you pay your restaurant bill. Chili's already has made it possible to use a credit/debit card at a machine sitting on the table.

I also see a cashless society in the near future. I paid my grocery bill with cash the other day and the cashier looked startled. I usually use my debit card but I happened to have cash that day. I would say I use my debit card 99% of the time.

I hope all of the personal touches don't disappear. It seems like it would be a very isolating experience if all contact with others is through machines.

Great thread!

~Kathy
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Kathy, I have read in many articles that the sit down dining experience is down so much that places like Chili's, Olive Garden and Applebee's are in danger. Millennials are not fans of sit down. They are a huge population and the future and apparently they prefer to order and take home or cook at home. So perhaps there will be far far less sit down restaurants needing servers.

To me this sounds insane, but I remember when digital books came out and so many older folks and even middle age said they would never give up paper books. Yet bookstores are collapsing and closing right and left. I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

I think the millennials will influence the world as much as boomers did (and still are
) There are three times more millennials than there ever were boomers and they are very unique.
 
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