As AI and automation reshape workers’ daily lives, they are also reshaping which jobs can expect major gains and losses over the next decade, according to new projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The U.S. economy is expected to add 5.9 million jobs, an increase of 3.5%, between 2025 and 2035, but growth will be slower than it was in the previous decade, according to data released Aug. 27. Total employment is projected to increase from 170.3 million to 176.2 million, with healthcare, technology and renewable energy expected to lead those gains.
Artificial intelligence, a major player in who sees gains and losses, is also driving demand for workers in fields such as data analysis, cybersecurity and software development. But federal data predicts that increased automation will reduce demand for many office support, sales and production jobs.
Administrative jobs, such as clerks, typists and data entry specialists, are expected to take an especially hard hit with a 4% drop in employment, the largest projected in any category, thanks to what the Labor Department called “continued integration of automation tools, including those powered by AI.”
Sales, along with the farming, fishing and forestry industries, are also expected to see losses.
Top 10 Fastest-Declining Jobs
Employment rates for these jobs are expected to decline the most between 2025 and 2035, according to the projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They may not represent the most total employees lost; instead, the numbers represent the largest percentage drops.
Some listed positions, such as telephone operators, already have a small remaining workforce. A decline of only about 1,000 workers nationwide over 10 years may seem small until you consider that only about 3,500 people were still doing the job at all in 2025.
Word processors and typists topped the list, with a 34.3% expected decline by 2035. This may not come as a surprise in a world not only of AI, but widespread access to technology that requires ordinary people to develop typing skills.
Similarly, data entry keyers are expected to decline by 25%, while phone-based jobs, including telephone operators, switchboard operators and telemarketers, also hovered at the top of the list.
Some jobs that previously relied on hand craftsmanship but can now be automated made the top 10, including patternmakers and grinding and polishing workers.
- Word processors and typists
- Expected decline: -34.4%
- Employment in 2025: 40,400
- Projected employment in 2035: 26,500
- Median annual wage (2025): $49,280
- Telephone operators
- Expected decline: -27.6%
- Employment in 2025: 3,500
- Projected employment in 2035: 2,500
- Median annual wage (2025): $41,740
- Switchboard operators
- Expected decline: -26.0%
- Employment in 2025: 35,400
- Projected employment in 2035: 26,200
- Median annual wage (2025): $38,630
- Data entry keyers
- Expected decline: -25.5%
- Employment in 2025: 131,800
- Projected employment in 2035: 98,200
- Median annual wage (2025): $41,340
- Foundry mold and coremakers
- Expected decline: -23.0%
- Employment in 2025: 12,700
- Projected employment in 2035: 9,800
- Median annual wage (2025): $48,110
- Patternmakers, metal and plastic
- Expected decline: -22.8%
- Employment in 2025: 1,500
- Projected employment in 2035: 1,100
- Median annual wage (2025): $58,000
- Telemarketers
- Expected decline: -21.4%
- Employment in 2025: 60,900
- Projected employment in 2035: 47,800
- Median annual wage (2025): $35,450
- Grinding and polishing workers, hand
- Expected decline: -19.2%
- Employment in 2025: 10,800
- Projected employment in 2035: 8,700
- Median annual wage (2025): $42,660
- Roof bolters, mining
- Expected decline: -18.9%
- Employment in 2025: 2,200
- Projected employment in 2035: 1,800
- Median annual wage (2025): $78,540
- Cutters and trimmers, hand
- Expected decline: -18.9%
- Employment in 2025: 5,900
- Projected employment in 2035: 4,800
- Median annual wage (2025): $38,020
Jobs With the Biggest Projected Employment Losses
Aside from jobs projected to decline at the fastest rate overall, there’s also a list of occupations slated to lose the most total employees. Cashiers, for example, will only see a 6.5% projected decrease between 2025 and 2035, but because the total number of people with that job title is higher, the actual figure of jobs lost will be larger. In the case of cashiers, about 200,600 jobs will be lost by 2035, according to Labor Department statistics.
Other jobs on this list include occupations that are largely administrative and deal with handling data or customer service, such as office clerks, secretaries, administrative assistants, customer service representatives and tellers. Correctional officers and jailers round out the list as a standout category.
Projected employment changes are for 2025 to 2035.
- Cashiers
- Total expected employment change: -200,600 jobs
- Office clerks
- Total expected employment change: -156,200 jobs
- Customer service representatives
- Total expected employment change: -141,800 jobs
- Secretaries and administrative assistants
- Total expected employment change: -114,100 jobs
- Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks
- Total expected employment change: -85,600 jobs
- Shipping, receiving and inventory clerks
- Total expected employment change: -62,800 jobs
- First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Total expected employment change: -52,500
- Tellers
- Total expected employment change: -44,700 jobs
- Data entry keyers
- Total expected employment change: -33,600 jobs
- Correctional officers and jailers
- Total expected employment change: -29,500 jobs
Occupation Groups Projected to Grow
Conversely, employment in industries surrounding power, tech and healthcare is expected to grow between 2025 and 2035, according to labor data.
An aging population, growing healthcare needs and rising energy demand are expected to create strong opportunities for healthcare workers, data scientists and renewable energy technicians. Healthcare and social assistance is projected to add the most jobs of any major sector over the next decade.
- Healthcare support
- Healthcare practitioners and technicians
- Life, physical and social science
- Community and social service
- Computer and mathematical
Jobs With the Biggest Projected Employment Gains
All data projections are for 2025-2035.
- Nurse practitioners
- Solar photovoltaic installers
- Data scientists
- Wind turbine service technicians
- Medical and health service managers
Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY / USA TODAY. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
