Jobs and the Future of Work

Which US jobs are disappearing fastest?

A watch repairer looks at the watch face while doing adjustments at a workshop in Mexico City, Mexico January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril - RC1F4CDF7C70

Watch repairers is just one of the twelve jobs most at risk from automation. Image: REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

Niall McCarthy
Data Journalist, Statista

A long list of U.S. jobs are being rendered obsolete by technological advancements and automation. Which workers are most at risk? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, locomotive firer is the job set to shrink the most over the coming decade. A locomotive firer is responsible for monitoring instruments on trains as well as watching for signals and dragging equipment. The workforce is small, numbering 1,200 in 2016. By 2026, however, that is going to decrease even further to just 300, a decline of 79 percent.

Respiratory therapy technicians are also set to see their ranks decimated by 2026 with the number of staff set to fall 56 percent. Parking enforcement workers are the third most endangered profession in America with their numbers expected to drop 35 percent by 2026.

Image: Statista
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