10 jobs that won't exist 20 years from now (2024)

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Cashiers

When the first automated check-out machines were tested, they weren't immediately popular with customers; but while today's versions are still far from perfect, the proliferation of self checkout machines is undeniable.

According to Allied Market Research, the self checkout industry is projectedto garner $31.75 billion by 2020, which could bode poorly for the future of cashiers. Popular services such as Amazon Fresh also allow shoppers to order groceries and other items from the comfort of their home.

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Fast food workers

One of the big appeals of fast food is that it's consistent and reliable — chain menus tend to be standardized, so there's little variation in how specific menu items taste from location to location. According to The Guardian, that could translate to an81% probability of fast food cooks seeing their jobs replaced by automated kitchen assistants.

In California, for instance, an AI-powered robot named Flippy has beenflipping burgers and placing them on buns at a CaliBurger location since 2017.

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Retail jewelers

The jewelry industry has been declining for the past few years. Per Bloomberg, the Jewelers Board of Trade reported thatjewelry store closures accelerated 53% in 2016.

One factor, per National Jeweler, is that Millennials prioritize spending their money on experiences, rather than material things.

"Jewelry has definitely been tough and millennials are shifting their spending to experience," Brian Yarbrough, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co., told Bloomberg. "That limits your ability to show a lot of growth."

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Mail carriers

Back in the '70s and '80s, many suburban childrenwere paperboys and girls. The entry-level job was considered a rite of professional passage — until the dawn of the digital age began to render it obsolete.

These days, more people rely on the internet for breaking news coverage, which explains why mail carriers placed200 out of 200 careers examined in the Career Cast 2014 Jobs Rated reportfor projected growth outlook. With the advent of online banking and the like, the need for snail-mail is dwindling every day.

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Referees

While advances in technology contribute to the decline of sports referees in the coming years — instant replay is more reliable than the naked eye in assessing certain plays on the field, for example — there are multiple reasons for the projected decrease.

Full-time referees earned less than $25,000 in 2016, according to an infographic by Ohio University; they also reported experiencing physical and verbal abuse from angry fans, and limited mobility in terms of job prospects. All this means that as older refs retire, fewer young ones are ready to replace them.

Meter readers

As digital meters become more and more ubiquitous, traditional meter readers — and the trained professionals who check them in-person — are getting phased out in favor of technologies that can process information off-site. According to Career Cast, meter reading is anticipated to see a19% job decline by 2022.

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Telemarketers

According to a 2013 study calledThe Future of Employment, conducted by Oxford University academics, the future of telemarketing jobs could be dire.

While the authors admit that the projected decline of sales occupations seems counter-intuitive — sales traditionally requires human-to-human contact and nuance — they defend their prediction by explaining that while telemarketing is interactive, it isn't necessarily nuanced, nor does reading from a sales script require a high degree of social intelligence. Therefore, telemarketing could be at risk of becoming computerized.

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Travel agents

Travel agencies used to be fundamental services for people who wanted to book a trip. Not only would travel agents filter through available flights for you, but they'd book your tickets, provide you with necessary travel information (such as maps or relevant brochures), and more.

Today, websites such as Kayak and Google Flights do all that work quickly and for free. Additionally, travel rewards credit cards are enticing to travelers who can use them to book trips on the credit card's website to earn points and bonuses.

Per The Atlantic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of full-timetravel agentsin the USdropped from a high of 124,000 in 2000 toaround74,000 a mere four years later.

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Dispatchers

Transportation is becoming more independent with the array of rideshare appsavailable. Travelers can now plan their trip ahead of time from their phone, and drivers can rely on technology to tell them the most efficient route and to track their progress.

Additionally, services such as Google Maps present travelers with an encompassing list of transit options.

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Lumberjacks

As society grapples with climate change and works toward establishing a more green and sustainable planet, lumberjacks will likely see their occupation go the way of the dodo (they're projected to see a13% decline in the coming decade alone).

Not only are paper products becoming increasingly digital, but the world is beginning to prioritize usingeco-friendly alternatives across the board.