Choosing a career can be a daunting experience, especially for those preparing to leave the safety of their schools and tertiary institutions.
Then there are adults who dream of pursuing their dream careers, breaking away from the shackles of their current job to live out their dreams. But before choosing a new job, one first needs to do research. Not because the career might not be what a person expected, but because the job might not be there in the future.
John Pugliano, author of “The Robots are Coming: A Human’s Survival Guide to Profiting in the Age of Automation,” sees plenty of white-collar jobs that will be threatened by automation.
Work + Money contacted Pugliano and several other professionals to determine which professions to avoid because they are on the decline or which are simply going to become obsolete in the future.
Here are six professions which are set to face the onslaught of technology:
Bookkeeping
It seems artificial intelligence is responsible for the decline of bookkeeping. Dmytro Arshynov of DMA Financial Management LLC in New York believes due to technology improving, bookkeeping will be eliminated within a decade. It will apparently be replaced with automated technologies.
Sites such as QuickBooks Online and Receipt Book can automatically download your bank account information, before preparing a simple Form 1040 and a Schedule Form.
Fast Food Cook
While fast food is all about convenience and speed, it seems even in this industry, technology is removing the need for people.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says there will be approximately 511 400 fast food cooks working in outlets in the US in 2020, which will be a 3.6% drop from 2010.
Does this mean that we can soon expect robots taking full control of all outlets in the foreseeable future?
Newspaper reporters
The BLS explains newspaper circulation has been dropping for 17 years straight. In fact, Sunday circulation in the US is at its lowest levels since 1945. The BLS says one in 10 reporters will be losing their jobs within the next 10 years.
Broadcasters
The BLS claims one in 10 of the US’s 33 202 radio and television announcers can expect to see their jobs vanish by 2026.
But why?
Apparently, consolidation in the industry, as well as an increase in the use of syndicated content, is contributing to the decline. Then there are also people opting for music streaming over radio stations.
The BLS foresees a 9% decline in the category of reporters, correspondents and broadcast news analysts, with a staggering 4 500 jobs to be lost in the US alone.
Financial Planners
Pugliano says what was once done by low-level retail financial planners is being outsourced to planning software, apps, robo-advisors and investigating algorithms.
Investopedia adds that robo-advisors will most likely be employed by every firm in one way or another. Within 10 years’, they will most likely be able to follow sophisticated strategies which will employ a certain amount of judgment in regards to buying and selling decisions.
With the constant evolution of technology, be sure to choose your future professions carefully to remain ahead.
