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10 Dying Jobs That Are Expected to Disappear in the Next 5 Years

See which careers face the greatest risk in the years ahead.

By Chris Lewis, CEPF , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated July 20, 2026

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If you want to get ahead financially, knowing which way your occupation is headed matters as much as how hard you work in it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2024-34 Employment Projections, released August 28, 2025, and the most current federal occupational outlook available, project the U.S. economy will add 5.2 million jobs over the decade, growing total employment 3.1%.

That headline number sounds reassuring, but it masks a much more uneven story underneath. Growth is concentrated almost entirely in health care, technology, and a handful of energy-related industries, while specific occupational categories are shrinking sharply, driven by AI, automation, e-commerce, and shifting demographics.

Here are 10 occupations the BLS projects will decline fastest over the next decade, several of them losing a quarter or more of their current workforce.

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Word processors and typists

Projected decline: -36%

This remains the steepest decline of any occupation tracked. AI-powered document tools, built directly into everyday office software, have eliminated most of the demand for a dedicated typing role.

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Telephone operators

Projected decline: -27.5%

Automated phone systems and directory services have replaced the bulk of work that human telephone operators once handled, a trend that has compounded for more than a decade.

Switchboard operators

Projected decline: -26%

VoIP systems and automated call routing have absorbed nearly all of the function switchboard operators used to provide, leaving little remaining demand for the role.

Data entry keyers

Projected decline: -26%

AI and automation tools now capture and process data faster and more accurately than manual entry, displacing much of this occupation's core function across industries.

Telemarketers

Projected decline: -22%

AI-driven calling systems have taken over a large share of outbound sales calls, while expanding do-not-call compliance requirements have further narrowed the pool of legally reachable prospects.

Order clerks

Projected decline: -17%

E-commerce automation, including self-service ordering and AI-assisted order processing, continues to reduce the need for clerks to manually take and process customer orders.

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Payroll and timekeeping clerks

Projected decline: -17%

Integrated HR and payroll software now handles calculations, compliance, and reporting that once required dedicated clerical staff, a shift that has accelerated as more employers adopt all-in-one platforms.

File clerks

Projected decline: -16%

Digital record-keeping systems have largely replaced physical filing, allowing other office staff to absorb what remains of this work rather than requiring a dedicated role.

Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

Projected decline: -5%

AI-powered photo-assessment tools can now evaluate property damage images directly, allowing insurers to generate payout estimates faster and with fewer adjusters involved in routine claims, even as the role remains a sizable part of the insurance workforce.

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Medical transcriptionists

Projected decline: -4.9%

The BLS specifically attributes this decline to AI technology that can recognize speech and transcribe audio directly, reducing the need for a human transcriptionist to convert spoken medical notes into written records.

Why these declines coexist with overall job growth

It's worth understanding why total employment can grow 3.1% while specific occupations lose a quarter or more of their workforce. The BLS projects that health care and social assistance will be the fastest-growing industry sector, expanding 8.4%, driven by an aging population and rising chronic disease rates. Professional, scientific, and technical services and the information sector are also expected to grow strongly, fueled by demand for AI systems, software development, and data processing.

Retail trade is projected to lose the most jobs of any sector in absolute terms, as automation, consolidation, and e-commerce continue to reduce the need for in-store sales roles, even as the growing volume of online purchases supports job growth in transportation and warehousing. The pattern across nearly every declining occupation on this list is the same: AI and automation are not eliminating entire industries; they are eliminating the specific, repeatable tasks that used to require a dedicated human role.

What this means if your job is on this list

None of this is cause for panic, but it is a reason to act early rather than late. The BLS explicitly notes that these projections carry real uncertainty, particularly around the pace of AI adoption, and the agency updates its projections annually to account for new developments. Still, a sustained decline across multiple projection cycles, which several of these occupations have now shown, is a meaningful signal worth taking seriously.

Many of the skills built in clerical, administrative, and customer-facing roles (attention to detail, communication, and familiarity with business systems) transfer directly into faster-growing fields like health care administration, technical support, and operations roles tied to the same automation systems replacing older positions. Community college certificate programs and federal workforce development grants can offset much of the cost of retraining for workers in declining occupations.

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Bottom line

A 3.1% growth projection for the overall economy is good news in aggregate, but it says very little about whether your specific job is on solid ground. The 10 occupations listed here are projected to shrink meaningfully, in some cases by more than a quarter of their current workforce, driven almost entirely by AI tools and automated systems taking over tasks that used to require a person.

For anyone in one of these roles, the most useful response is to treat a declining occupation as an early signal rather than a future emergency. Identifying transferable skills, exploring retraining resources, and moving toward a growing field before a layoff forces the decision is one of the most practical ways to build real wealth instead of being caught off guard by a labor market shift that, according to the BLS's own data, is already well underway.

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