The Jobs Most Likely to Disappear by 2033

The Jobs Most Likely to Disappear by 2033

A wave of automation is set to hit the workforce hard. A new study warns that, by 2033, some of today’s most common jobs could be almost unrecognizable or gone altogether.

Conducted by an online gaming company, the research ranked jobs most at risk using two key factors: projected employment decline rates and AI automation risk scores. Job losses made up 60 percent of the final ranking, with automation probability accounting for the remaining 40 percent.

The result is a sobering top 10 list of careers in the US most likely to vanish over the next decade.

Data Entry Keyers — Top of the At-Risk List

Data entry keyers rank first in the list of vanishing careers. Currently, 163.9K people work in data entry, but the number is likely to drop to 122.8K by 2033.

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This means that one in every four specialists from this industry will lose jobs amid the 95 percent AI automation risk, as computers can now handle information processing faster and, in most cases, more accurately than humans.

Mining Machine Operators Face the Highest Risk

Loading and moving machine operators take second place with the highest AI automation risk at 97 percent. About 5.3K workers currently do these jobs, earning one of the best salaries among the most declining occupations at around $70K annually.

However, the employment numbers are expected to fall to 4.1K, a 22.9 percent decline, as mining companies increasingly use automated equipment instead of human operators.

Payroll Clerks Could Be Replaced by Software

Payroll and timekeeping clerks hold the third position with significant workforce reduction ahead. These workers handle wage calculations and time records for companies, but 90 percent of these jobs could be automated.

Ablut 160.3K people work in this area currently, though this will drop to 136.2K by 2033, a 15.1 percent decline.

Fast Food Cooks and the Rise of the Robot Kitchen

Fast food cooks come in fourth place as automation across the chain restaurants accelerates. This large workforce of 682.2K employees will shrink to 588.5K, marking a 13.7 percent employment drop.

Earning around $30K annually, fast food cooks receive the lowest wages among declining occupations and face an 87 percent automation risk.

Cashiers — The Largest Workforce at Risk

Cashiers rank fifth as the largest workforce facing replacement. This group of 3.34M workers will shrink to 2.99M in the next decade, a 10.6 percent decline that represents the highest total job losses, with 350K positions disappearing.

These workers, also among the lowest-paid occupations at around $31K annually, face a 93 percent automation risk as self-checkout machines and mobile payments now handle most transactions that previously required human cashiers.

File Clerks Lose Ground to Digital Storage

File clerks take sixth place in the disappearing job rankings. Around 87.2K people work in organizing and maintaining records, but this number will soon fall to 73.9K, a 15.3 percent job reduction. Their 77 percent automation risk is somewhat lower than other positions because some filing work still requires human judgment.

However, as the sixth most threatened job, they still face significant danger as digital systems and cloud storage continue replacing traditional record-keeping methods.

Bookkeepers Confront AI Accounting Software

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks land in seventh position with a concerning automation outlook. This large field of 1.66M workers will decrease to 1.58M in the coming years, posting 5 percent job decline combined with a 94 percent automation probability.

While these professionals may not face immediate threats given the lower decline rate, the high automation risk indicates this career lacks long-term prospects amid rising AI accounting software.

Office Clerks See Routine Work Disappear

Office clerks rank eighth as workplace automation continues to eliminate routine administrative work. Currently, 2.65M workers perform various office tasks, but this will fall to 2.5M by 2033, which is a 5.6 percent employment decrease.

These workers face an 88 percent automation likelihood with office software and AI assistants already handling filing and correspondence.

Warehouse Clerks Displaced by Tracking Technology

Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks hold the ninth position. These 848.7K workers handle the movement of goods in warehouses and distribution centers, but their numbers are projected to drop to 784.2K, representing a 7.6 percent decline.

With a 79 percent automation risk, many of these workers are already seeing their roles change as companies like Amazon install new systems and automated tracking technology that can sort packages, update inventory counts, and manage shipments nonstop.

Even Programmers Aren’t Safe

Computer programmers take the final position among endangered careers. The field employs 139.4K specialists today but will lose 9.6 percent of positions by 2033, dropping to 126K jobs.

With a 70 percent chance of automation, even the best-paid workers on this list, earning around $99K annually, cannot escape job losses as artificial intelligence becomes more and more capable of writing programs.

Transferable Skills

But the study’s authors stress that the future isn’t purely bleak. «The real opportunity lies in how workers adapt and retrain during this transition,» says a company spokesperson.

Transferable skills, like attention to detail in data entry or business process know-how from bookkeeping, can be redirected into quality control, consulting, and other growth areas.

Adapting for the Next Decade

The challenge is creating affordable, accessible education for mid-career workers who can’t afford to stop working. The report points to community colleges and online programs as key players in helping workers shift into AI-resilient careers.

By 2033, millions of today’s jobs will be gone, but workers who pivot early could find themselves thriving in entirely new roles.