Entrepreneur Shares The 5 Jobs He Believes Will Completely ‘Disappear’ In Just 10 Years
With the changing technological landscape, he considers the downfall of these industries to be “a certainty.”
Adriaticfoto | Shutterstock.com A career-focused account on Instagram that centers on advice for entrepreneurs has asserted that technological advances and general economic shifts mean certain jobs are simply dying out.
“This wave of disruption is not just a possibility,” they wrote in a recent post, “it’s a certainty. Always remember, the future belongs to those who are fully adaptable.”
Some employment experts, like Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, even suggest that nine-to-five jobs are growing extinct with the rise of freelancers and mission-based work across industries.
Here are the 5 jobs that will likely ‘disappear’ in the next 10 years, according to an entrepreneur:
1. Cashiers
With powerhouse companies like Amazon modernizing grocery stores like Whole Foods Market with new self-checkouts and “Just Walk Out” functionalities for payment, it’s reasonable that experts would suggest a shift in the prevalence of these jobs.
However, despite the growth of AI advancements, specifically used for self-checkout, many suggest it’s impossible for these kinds of human-first positions to go away entirely. Studies have shown an integral link between social interaction and overall health, even in the grocery store.
So, while technology might outpace the productivity of service workers like cashiers, it doesn’t seem entirely feasible that they’ll go away completely. In some cases, Amazon included, these new AI technologies actually might require more employees to work effectively.
2. Truck drivers
Companies like TuSimple and Aurora are paving the way for new technologies in occupations like truck driving — developing systems that would launch self-driving vehicles across industries.
While they have their challenges, including safety on the roads, they also offer opportunities for improved efficiency at lower costs for companies investing in cross-country transportation. And let's face it, delivering goods quickly is a service that's not going anywhere as online shopping only increases.
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For now, many of these self-driving vehicles are being tested with truck drivers still in their original roles, overseeing their safety and effectiveness. However, with the pace at which these new technologies are growing, it’s not surprising that the occupation could vanish in the next decade—at least for companies looking to cut corners with labor costs.
3. Warehouse workers
According to Economic Forum reports, workplaces across all industries are already implementing AI technologies and automation services much faster than anticipated — which inevitably impacts existing jobs, especially in manufacturing, agriculture, and warehousing.
“There are already huge warehouses in China that don’t require average employees anymore,” according to the Instagram account. “The robots transport the goods from A to B, drive to their charging stations…Human labor will be gone quite soon.”
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However, this industry has always been open to new technologies, always aimed at increasing productivity and general efficiency. Like the agricultural sector, jobs might “phase out,” as Pepper Equipments analysis suggests, but they always reinvent themselves.
As long as employees adapt to learning new technologies, are willing to specialize or gain knowledge about industry changes, and work alongside these advancements, this shift doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative one.
4. Cab drivers
In the same vein as new self-driving trucks, many theorize that rideshare companies and taxi services will also suffer. Especially for taxi drivers in metropolitan areas, already struggling with the competition of companies like Uber, this influx of self-driving technology could be detrimental.
However, some experts suggest that taxi drivers and similar jobs are actually on an upward trend as demand rises and current openings become available through many current workers retiring from the industry.
5. Travel agents
“Let’s be honest, when was the last time you booked with a travel agency?” the entrepreneur account wrote. “This business is already dead… it’s all the previous generation.”
Instead of spending money on a travel agent, many people would prefer to do that research themselves — investing more of their money on the vacation itself.
As time off becomes scarce for many workers, financial struggles become more prevalent, and vacations grow into even more of a luxury for the average person, it’s not surprising that people aren’t willing — or can’t afford — to use a travel agent at all.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories