If you’re looking to make a career change, you might want to consider medicine, energy, or mathematics—and stay away from manufacturing. On Tuesday the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its biennial report, in which the agency laid out the its predictions for changes in the workforce coming over the next 10 years. The fingerprints of automation and AI can be clearly seen throughout.
It’s no secret that automation is expected to continue eliminating jobs, and the report reflects that. Jobs for workers like electronics assemblers and word processers, which are highly susceptible to automation, are anticipated to drop by 45,300 and 25,000, respectively, by 2026.
But automation is also creating a great need for new positions. The bureau anticipates a rise in demand for statisticians, mathematicians, and software developers—occupations that will build the algorithms to control the machines that replace traditional manufacturing workers. Fulfillment jobs for online retailers will continue to grow in number, too, helping to blunt the impact of losing so many manufacturing roles.
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