As technology advances and new careers emerge, many jobs we know today might vanish within the next 20 years. It’s important to be aware of these, especially if you’re heading down a new career path or are looking to choose one. So, in this article, we’ll explore 18 jobs that could be forgotten in the near future.
Drivers
Statista says that “in 2019, there were some 31 million cars with at least some level of automation in operation worldwide.” It is expected that their number will surpass 54 million in 2024. With this increase, the number of drivers in the world will diminish 20 years from now.
Postmen
Although couriers will always have work, people who deliver letters are finding themselves with less and less work every year. This is because of the increase in digital communication. People even send cards over the Internet instead of via mail. Jobs in the mail industry are on their way out.
Supermarket Cashiers
The statistics from Gitnux show that “73% of consumers prefer self-checkout over staffed checkout lines.” Because supermarkets are including more self-checkouts in their shops and encouraging shoppers more than ever before to use them, staffed checkout lines will no doubt disappear in 20 years.
Librarians
Back in the day, Brits absolutely loved libraries, as they were a quiet, free space to relax and learn. However, nowadays, people rarely visit the library and rely on the information they can get online. Because of this, library jobs will no doubt cease to exist in 20 years.
Bookkeepers
At the moment, bookkeeping pays well, but that’s unlikely to last for much longer. With automated bookkeeping programs becoming more and more efficient, we can expect that accounting jobs will likely disappear within the next 20 years.
Bank Clerks
Bank clerks are likely to disappear altogether in 20 years, and the main reason for this is digital banking. In the UK, Statista estimates that it’s become so popular that the digital banking industry will be worth a staggering £83bn by the end of 2024. If that doesn’t lead to more bank branches closing down, we’re not sure what will.
Hand Car Washers
Automated car wash services will likely be the only ones available 20 years from now. Having your car washed by a machine is fast and efficient. The number of hand car washes is diminishing, and people are gravitating toward automated services more than ever before.
Classic Taxi Drivers
Taxis are very popular in big cities such as London, but despite this, there’s no denying that taxi apps like Uber and Bolt are threatening the survival of the classic taxi car industry. Sadly, such companies are already putting black cab drivers out of business, so it’s only a matter of time.
Authors
Book writing is a way for those who are creative with words to show off their best talents. But with artificially intelligent writing tools becoming increasingly popular, the need for human writers is decreasing drastically. Twenty years from now, there may not be any authors left.
Call Centers
Automated call centers are already so popular today, and it is becoming more and more rare to dial a business number and get through to a human, not a machine. Human call center jobs will likely cease to exist in 20 years, if not sooner.
Telemarketers
When you call in to place an order for something you’ve seen online, you will probably get through to an automated system that will process your request. Human telemarketers only step in when the automated system fails. These systems will only improve and take over the industry with time.
Newspaper Printers
People read more information online now than ever before. This information includes the news. Because of the decrease in people buying and reading newspapers, their circulation is becoming scarce. We can expect that no one will work in newspaper printing jobs 20 years from now.
Travel Agents
Vacation booking apps are better than ever and give people instant access to photos, videos, and reviews about the places they want to visit. It is only the older generation that still visits the travel agents to book a holiday. Travel agencies will be a distant memory 20 years from now.
Manual Assembly Factory Workers
Big corporations are completing the majority of their work with robots, as they are more accurate and can be worked all day and night. Manual assembly jobs are already few and far between. We can expect them to vanish completely over the next 20 years.
Clothing Checkouts
The clothing industry is becoming more mechanical every day. Self-checkouts with the ability to remove security tags and deal with minor customer issues already exist. So, 20 years from now, we can expect that all clothing checkouts will be self-service as technology is constantly advancing.
Toll Booth Workers
More and more toll booths are becoming automated. They scan your number plate and automatically bill you when you pass through a certain area. The need for human toll booth workers is declining and will no doubt disappear within the next 20 years or less.
Fast-Food Workers
Self-service checkouts are on the rise, especially in fast-food restaurants. There are fewer people taking orders at the desk, as these are done by the customers themselves from an app or a screen in the restaurant. The fast food industry will soon rely solely on these machines to take their orders.
Security
Many properties and buildings are now manned by AI security instead of real people. These systems use heat and motion sensors to detect danger and set off an alarm. It is likely that all security systems will be manned by AI 20 years from now.