Top 25 fastest-disappearing jobs in the US
Since 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. has been projecting the fastest-declining occupations in the U.S. by 2026. Earlier this month, the agency updated its statistics to give job seekers a more recent look at how certain industries are doing — in terms of salary and projected growth.
Overall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that employment will be up more than 7 percent in 2026. The agency previously said health care, health care support, construction and personal care fields would be amongst the fastest-growing occupations from 2012 to 2022.
Of the 818 occupations the bureau tracks, the agency found that locomotive firers, which receive an average annual salary of $63,820, will decline by -78.6 percent by 2026. Respiratory therapy technicians, which earn around $51,000, will also see a rapid dip of about -56.3 percent over seven years. Parking enforcement workers, averaging $39,840 per year, will also flounder — with the agency expecting a -35.3 percent decline in 2026.
Here’s a list of the 25 occupations (in order) that will be hit the hardest by 2026.
- Locomotive firers
- Respiratory therapy technicians
- Parking enforcement workers
- Word processors and typists
- Watch repairers
- Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles
- Foundry mold and coremakers
- Pourers and casters, metal
- Computer operators
- Telephone operators
- Mine shuttle car operators
- Electromechanical equipment assemblers
- Data entry keyers
- Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
- Coil winders, tapers, and finishers
- Grinding and polishing workers, hand
- Timing device assemblers and adjusters
- Switchboard operators, including answering service
- Prepress technicians and workers
- Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Legal secretaries