What professions are appearing and disappearing in today's new working world?

The modern world is marked by all kinds of technological upheavals that have had huge impacts on current professions. But which professions will take advantage of these technological changes to grow and which are doomed to disappear?

Will machines soon replace humans? According to a study by the consulting firm McKinsey, a third of jobs could be automated over the period 2017-2030. And recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) will likely accelerate this process even further.

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According to data from 'Statista', cited by 'France 24', 40% of employees fear that their jobs will disappear with automation in a developed country like France. In September 2023, Gallup found that 22% of Americans worried technology would make their jobs obsolete!

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In any case, certain jobs will not survive this massive wave. The World Economic Forum's 2023 Future of Jobs Report reveals a planned decline in those that are most easily automated.

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According to the 2023 Future of Jobs Report, data entry operators, administrative and management secretaries, as well as bank and postal employees will all see their share of overall employment decrease by at least 30% over the period 2023-2027.

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This will also be the case, to a lesser extent, for positions dedicated to accounting and payroll management, the share of which will be reduced by more than 25% worldwide.

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The World Economic Forum also anticipated a negative development, although less pronounced, in other “white-collar” professions, such as those of loan officers, compliance officers, and insurance underwriters.

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The 'Career Addict' portal lists a series of professions that have already disappeared, these included: video club employees, telephone box repairers, typists, and milkmen. Without forgetting the transformations of artisanal activities.

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The same source also indicated which professions were on the verge of disappearing: warehouse workers (soon to be replaced by robots), motor or machine assembly workers (also robotized tasks), or traditional watch repairers.

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Don't panic, however, current technological changes are causing new professions to emerge and grow all the time, and with them new opportunities for workers.

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Unsurprisingly, AI and machine learning experts topped a World Economic Forum's ranking of professions and their share of global employment. It was noted these types of jobs were expected to grow by around 40% in five years.

Other tech professions, which will see their share increase by at least 25% over the same period, such as IT security analysts, fintech engineers, data experts, and robotics engineers.

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In second and third place in the World Economic Forum ranking were skills that correspond to current issues: sustainable development expert and business intelligence analyst.

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The magazine 'Business Connect' listed on LinkedIn 15 emerging professions in 2023, among which we of course find those in artificial intelligence and data, but not only that.

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User experience (UX) professionals, such as UX designers or product or interface designers, are also mentioned. A 20% increase in recruitment in this field between 2019 and 2020 is reported.

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The digital marketing sector is also part of the list, with a 33% increase in recruitment in one year, for positions as varied as digital marketing specialist, social media manager, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specialist.

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'Business Connect' more generally mentioned the rapid growth of sales and sales professional jobs. Digitalization has also given rise to new professions, linked for example to the consumer experience.

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The magazine 'Capital' cited professions that did not exist 10 or 15 years ago, such as those of application developer, "community manager", but also VTC driver.

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Do you want to combine business with pleasure? Become a professional video game player, a booming profession driven by the gamification of society and the development of professional competitions.

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While digital technology, and particularly AI, may threaten many traditional office positions, human professions are not going to disappear and will still have a major role in the changing nature of work in the future.

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Essential in aging societies, the health sector will see its workforce continue to increase in the coming years. According to the World Economic Forum study, the number of its professionals will grow by 22% over the period 2023-2027.

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An almost identical proportion (23%) for the “care, personal services and well-being” sector, which includes professions as varied as psychologist or caregiver.

Transformations in the labor market are reinforcing the need for lifelong training, which is boosting training activities. According to the same source, workforces in the “education and training” sector will also grow by 23% worldwide between 2023 and 2027.

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Bus or heavy goods vehicle drivers, and VTC drivers are all professions whose usefulness will survive technological changes and for which new job creations are expected in the coming years.

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A more surprising development will be the positive dynamics of agriculture. According to the World Economic Forum, the profession of agricultural machinery driver is the one which will see the greatest number of job creations over the period, with a total estimated at more than 2.5 million.

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And you, where do you place your activity among the scale of professions in vogue or in decline? Despite rapid and sometimes brutal changes, the total number of jobs should continue to grow and the opportunities to be seized will become more numerous!

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