What Industries Will Become Obsolete in the Future?

I want to put a disclaimer on this list. No one knows for sure which professions
will or will not exist or how they will morph into new incantations of themselves.
Here are some that I have been thinking about:

Real Estate Agent: The old days of having a person pick out a home for you to tour
are swiftly slipping away. There are so many sites to help you choose the location,
school system, amenities, etc. of a new home, that real estate agents are starting
to disappear. As the final stages of where you want to live come closer, you may
want the help of a real person, but the fees they charge are coming under pressure
as their value diminishes.

Truck/Taxi Driver: Driverless technology is advancing quickly. It’s estimated that

roughly 33 million autonomous vehicleswill be on the road by 2040.

Doctor: This is controversial, because so many people want to be taken care of by a

live person. The pandemic ushered in the transition to telehealth. I believe that
we are about to witness another revolution. No one doctor has all of the knowledge
to diagnose a patient, and they do not have all of the historical data and possible
treatments at their fingertips. As soon as global medical data becomes available,
the computer can diagnose, research DNA, and set about a cure for the vast majority
of people. Today, not all medical data is shared.

Librarian: It pains me, but gone will be the days of researching or reading in a
library. The digital library is at everyone’s fingertips.

Cashier: In the old days, there had to be a person to check you out, take your
money and give you change or charge your credit card. We are rapidly moving into
becoming a cashless society. Gone will be the need to even learn the life skill of
making change; our computers will perform all of the banking needs we have. Amazon,
through its Amazon Gobrick-and-mortar stores, is experimenting with a new checkout
system. You scan an Amazon Go app at a turnstile when you enter and just exit
without checking out when you leave.

Delivery Driver/Mail Carrier: As drones get more sophisticated, there will not be a
need for humans to deliver packages and mail. Much of your junk mail has already
been converted into junk email. Even Social Security has abandoned physical checks,
and many utility companies are moving in that direction with their billing, too.

Bank Worker: Banks are going to physically downsize, as much of our monetary

transactions are done digitally. Bank branches will begin to close as online
banking increases. Millennials are also using digital solutions for their investing
needs. The fin tech world is exploding with new mobile investing devices, as well.
As people become more comfortable with investing digitally, it will mean there will
be fewer and fewer live financial advisers and bank personal.

Sports Referee/Umpire: Even soccer’s governing body, FIFA is relenting to pressure

to introduce more technology into the game with video assistant referees. Many
other sports, such as tennis, also have been using technology to make real-time
decisions.

Fishers: We have overfished our waters in many places, and global warming is
negatively impacting remaining species of fish. If we are to eat fish in the
future, it will most likely be farm raised. The typical fisher will no longer be
able to go out and fish.

Lawyer/Legal Secretary: Deloitte has indicated that over the next 20 years, 114,000

legal jobs could be automated. It is similar to the medical profession. Our digital
world can instantaneously provide case history and feed your data into a system to
find your legal solutions. The documentation could also be filed electronically.

Factory Workers: Automation is already interrupting these professions. It is

estimated that there will be shrinkage of over 204,000 jobs by 2029.

Travel Agent: Before the internet, it was really great to talk to a live person who
could help you cobble together your whole vacation. That professional could get you
the best hotel and accommodations at the best rates. Today, there are many easy-to-
use websites and apps that can help you research and book every part of your
vacation. Employment for travel agents is expected to fall 26% from 2019 to 2029.

Don’t Be Bummed, Be Inspired

How is the Job Market Shifting Over the Next Decade?

The employment landscape is constantly shifting. While agricultural jobs played a

big role in the 19th century, a large portion of U.S. jobs today are in
administration, sales, or transportation. So how can job seekers identify the
fastest growing jobs of the future?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects there will be 11.9 million new
jobs created from 2020 to 2030, an overall growth rate of 7.7%. However, some jobs
have a growth rate that far exceeds this level. In this graphic, we use BLS data to
show the fastest growing jobs—and fastest declining jobs—and how much they each
pay.

The Top 20 Fastest Growing Jobs

We used the dataset that excludes occupations with above average cyclical recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, jobs such as motion picture
projectionists, ticket takers, and restaurant cooks were removed. Once these
exclusions were made, the resulting list reflects long-term structural growth.

Here are the fastest growing jobs from 2020 to 2030, along with the number of jobs
that will be created and the median pay for the position.

Occupation
Percent employment change, 2020–2030P
Numeric employment change, 2020-2030P
Median annual wage, 2020
Wind turbine service technicians 68.2% 4,700 $56,230
Nurse practitioners 52.2% 114,900 $111,680
Solar photovoltaic installers 52.1% 6,100 $46,470
Statisticians 35.4% 14,900 $92,270
Physical therapist assistants 35.4% 33,200 $59,770
Information security analysts 33.3% 47,100 $103,590
Home health and personal care aides 32.6% 1,129,900 $27,080
Medical and health services managers 32.5% 139,600 $104,280
Data scientists and mathematical science occupations, all other 31.4% 19,800
$98,230
Physician assistants 31.0% 40,100 $115,390