How Smarter Technology Will Make Your Job Obsolete In 20 Years

He could be doing your job soon enough.

The world gave birth to the internet as we know it 21 years ago.

Let me say that again, the worldwide web was born in 1994.

How many of you were alive back then? How many of you can remember life before email, facebook, twitter? Before google?

Since then, technology has continued growing at an exponential rate. But is it all good?

The So-Called Elixir of Progress

Innovation has always gone hand-in-hand with progress. But progress doesn’t always mean more jobs for the people.

Take the case of the Industrial Revolution. Mechanical looms spelled the doom of skilled artisan weavers. The volume and variety of goods may have increased. But so did the rate of unemployment in the working class.

The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) actually estimate that over 15 million jobs will be available between 2012 and 2022. That’s almost an 11% increase in the employment rate. But these are mostly in the healthcare industry.

Other jobs, in other industries, may not be so lucky.

The same BLS data, in fact, indicate that some occupations will shrink by at least 14%.

The Case of the Disappearing Job

24/7 Wall Street gives us a glimpse of 5 of America’s soon-to-be extinct professions.

1.  Postal Workers

When was the last time you sent anyone a letter by mail? You probably don’t remember.

Back in the day, it could take days, weeks or even months to hear back from anyone you sent snail mail to. With the dawn of emails and text messaging, the wait has been cut down to mere seconds!

Of course, that also meant postal employees do not have as much to do. It’s not just the mailman, too.

Mail sorters and processors are being replaced by more efficient sorting machines. The projected cuts amount to 140,000 jobs. That’s 28% of the employees losing their jobs in the next 10 years alone.

2. Petroleum Pump Operators

These people control and operate machinery used in processing petroleum. The expected decline is 14%.

The cause? Again, more efficient machines taking over.

3. Desktop Publishers

Desktop publishers earn an average of $33,840 annually. The job entails designing layouts for online or print media. Computer programs are the tools of choice.

And that’s exactly the reason why other workers can assume the position without a degree. The outlook? 14% or over 3,000 jobs lost to smarter computer programs.

4. Sewing Machine Operators

Machinery is used in manufacturing garments and other products. But in the next 10-20 years, we might no longer need operators to run these machines.

Of all jobs typically just requiring a high school diploma, this industry stands to lose the most. Over a quarter of the current workforce will be unemployed in just under 2 decades.

5. Communications Equipment Operators

Telephone operators provide billing or directory information. They may also be working the switchboard relaying calls.

But remember the last time you called your credit card company about your bill? Did you talk to an actual person? Or was everything over and done by pressing a series of buttons?

How about when you needed to get to the club where your friends are waiting for you? Did you call for directions? You used your car’s GPS, didn’t you?

Those are the reasons why telephone operators are obsolete. Simply put, it’s another case of technology taking over. Job decline is pegged at between 16% and 23% in the next decade alone.

No one can dispute that artificial intelligence is revolutionary technology. But smarter machines are also leaving you in the dust.

Dan M. Shahar is an editor at WeSellWords.com. When he finally leaves the office, he will try to spend every minute with his kids and beautiful wife. He will also try to make you play some ball if you're up to the challange.

Image: John Greenaway / CC BY-SA