Decisions you make about your job today will dramatically impact your future. Some jobs will guarantee a fruitful career, while others predict difficult times. What jobs and careers are destined to be in demand, and which ones will be the losers? It’s important to look to the future 5 to 10 years out.
Research and surveys have shown some potential directions. The U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 rankings. It gives a clear indication of the types of jobs that will be eliminated over time. Here are some of the results, with my comments:
- The marketplace is in disarray. Millions of people are quitting their jobs while others are advancing their prospects by moving up the career ladder from those leaving. Some workers are taking early retirement, starting their own business, while others are just worn down or burned out with the job demands.
- Factors leading to jobs that will disappear. They are: Highly repetitive; show low efficiency in performance; unprofitable when comparing to alternatives; simple to replace through partial or total automation; can be consolidated into another job
- Jobs that may disappear: Travel agent; Taxi drivers; Store cashiers; Fast food cooks; administrative legal jobs; data entry clerks; accountants, payroll clerks and bookkeepers; assembly-line factory workers; postal service clerks; bank tellers and clerks; material recording and stock-keeping clerks, to name a few.
- Jobs that will increase in demand: Information Security Analyst (preventing hacks in operating systems); Nurse Practitioner; Physician Assistant; Medical and Health Services Manager; Software Developer; Data Scientist; Financial Manager; Data Scientist; Financial Manager; Statistician; Lawyer; Speech-Language Pathologist. I agree with the health care jobs but disagree with Lawyer (I think we have too many now)
Think about jobs or industries that have been wiped out within a short period of time:
- Watchmakers in department store repair shops, before battery watches
- Auto mechanics before computer diagnostics machines were required
- Check-out cashiers at grocery stores, telephone operators, before on-line banking
Questions you should be asking:
- Is my job essential to the performance of the organization?
- Are there too many in my function nation-wide or too few for the future?
- Can my job be automated? Am I in a cutting-edge technology?
- Do I create solutions that a large segment of the population cannot solve?
- Are there any signs or trends that will change my job dramatically?
- If my function was eliminated, what would happen? Can my job be consolidated?
Keep informed of changes that affect your job. Stay ahead of those changes. Look for niches that few people are qualified to do, but is in high demand. You are the only one responsible for your future. Assess your vulnerability before someone else does.
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