Ranked: Occupations With the Most Projected Job Cuts
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As the economy shifts, the employment landscape changes. For instance, the agriculture sector made up over half of all jobs in 1850. Over time, this share dwindled as other sectors became more dominant.
What kind of employment shifts can we expect in the U.S. economy in the near future? This graphic uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to highlight the occupations projected to see the most job cuts over the next decade.
The 10 Jobs With the Biggest Declines
From 2023 to 2033, the BLS predicts that there will be nearly two million job cuts in total. Cashiers are set to make up 18% of this number, primarily due to self-checkout options and increased online shopping.
JobProjected Decline in Number of Jobs (2023-2033)2023 Median Annual Wage
Cashiers-353K$29,720
Customer service representatives-149K$39,680
Office clerks-148K$40,480
Fast food cooks-94K$29,260
Supervisors of retail sales workers-91K$46,730
Bookkeeping and accounting clerks-84K$47,440
Supervisors of office workers-69K$63,450
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks-64K$39,780
Tellers-51K$37,640
Data entry keyers-41K$37,790
Job titles have been shortened in some cases for readability. Full job titles in these cases are as follows: office clerks, general; cooks, fast food; first-line supervisors of retail sales workers; bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks; first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers.
Overall, technology is a major contributor to the job cuts in these roles. This is because many of these jobs are entry-level positions and their tasks can be partially or fully automated. For instance, self-service systems, social media, and mobile apps can often help customers to do simple tasks without talking to a customer service representative.
For bookkeeping and accounting clerks, many of the more routine tasks like data entry can be automated. This means fewer of these workers will be needed, and their role will shift more towards analytical and advisory tasks. Advancements in artificial intelligence could further automate many tasks of “desk jobs” across various sectors, with the information technology sector expected to be among the most impacted.
The BLS also expects that fast food cooks will be among the roles with the highest job cuts, due to automated systems and other streamlining efforts. Interestingly, restaurant cooks are among the jobs with the most projected growth. This is due to customers preferring healthier foods. To prepare high quality meals, restaurants will need experienced cooks, though unfortunately the median pay offered in restaurants is only slightly higher than fast food establishments.
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To see which jobs will have more demand in America, check out this graphic on the occupations projected to see the most job growth in the next decade.
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