The United States has been moving away from a goods-producing economy for years now, instead trending toward services. This means people holding jobs in manufacturing and even offices (like clerks) should start considering their options. But as technology chips away at the old job market, there are still certain occupations to watch out for. Now to be clear, these are lines of work that aren’t growing as much you would expect, hence the reasoning behind “Worst 21st Century Jobs.” Certainly every trade will continue to reward outstanding work ethics, so this isn’t meant to be a Run For The Hills! type of article.
Forbes points out that computer programmers are only expected to grow by 2% for the next half-decade or so. It’s 1990 with the dot-com boom, but what gives? Outsourcing is the culprit and they suggest techies start specializing if they want to secure a solid job by 2014.
Anyone currently reading this post has probably already seen the writing on the wall concerning the next endangered occupation. Traditional journalists are a dying breed, whether they will admit it or not. It is true that they can be disciplined and knowledgable, but newspapers are replacing print media. Dwindling circulation numbers prove this. But that is not to say these writers can’t make the jump to the Internet (where they are needed the most). Publications such as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have a thriving online readership.
Travel agents need to listen up too. Online access is chipping away at this job to the tune of a 6% drop by 2014. Booking this kind of stuff ourselves is effortless on the web, so why get an agent? On the upside, travel agents could reverse-organize trips back home from foreign markets instead.
These are a few endangered occupations to watch out for in the next decade. But don’t let the original article spell doom-and-gloom… For example, with the US dollar recently slipping under the Canadian equivalent, outsourcing will prove more costly. This means programmers who would otherwise lose a foothold could see a larger rise in demand. And for journalists, this year alone a record-breaking $31 billion will be spent on Internet advertising. Websites are the new employment landscape for them, so old print journalists need to get in on the action!
