Insider Monkey

30 Dying Professions to Avoid Like a Plague

Afifa Mushtaque
9 min read

In This Article:

In this article, we will look at the 30 dying professions to avoid like a plague. We have also discussed the need for skill building and companies at the forefront of upskilling. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to the 10 Dying Professions to Avoid Like a Plague. 

Owing to the digital age we live in, there are several jobs that don’t exist anymore. For example, lamplighters, who once lit gas lamps on city streets, have been replaced by electrical lighting. With digital media dominating, film projectionists have also become rare. The story is the same for typesetters in the print industry. Then there are jobs that are slowly dying, like administrative assistants, as virtual assistants have largely replaced them. On the other hand, there are jobs that will never disappear, like healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses. As time evolves, our needs also evolve; hence, the demands for jobs vary from time to time. 

Decrease in Job Openings and Remote Jobs

In July 2023, the US labor market was slowed as job openings declined by 338,000, the lowest level in nearly 2 1/2 years. This decrease was especially pronounced in the professional and business services sector, which saw a drop of 198,000 job openings. The healthcare and social assistance sector also had 130,000 fewer vacancies, and state and local government job openings (excluding education) fell by 67,000. Meanwhile, the number of people quitting their jobs dropped to levels last seen in early 2021. 

On the other hand, the landscape of remote jobs is also evolving, with some positions facing the risk of disappearing in the coming years. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of Americans worked from home, but this has now declined to less than 10% of the workforce, which reflects a shift in employer attitudes, as noted by CNBC.

Some remote roles may not exist in the future, particularly those that can be outsourced to cheaper overseas workers or automated by AI. Companies are finding it more cost-efficient to move certain jobs, such as customer service and receptionist roles, to countries with lower labor costs.

Furthermore, industries prioritizing in-person interactions, like retail and manufacturing, will likely continue limiting remote work opportunities. In contrast, remote jobs that require specialized skills, little to no social interaction, and can't be easily replaced by cheaper labor or AI, such as financial analysts and finance directors, are expected to remain in demand. To read more about remote jobs, see best work-from-home jobs for 2023. 

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