Close your eyes. Pretend that nothing is going to change. By 2030, your workplace will be unrecognizable and you’ll wish you stayed in the loop. Approximately 92 million jobs–representing about 8% of total employment–will be completely obsolete in 2030, the World Economic Forum projected in its 2025 Future of Jobs Report.
McKinsey Global Institute’s think tank also paints a bleak picture: the impact of AI and automation could take away the jobs up to 12 million workers in the U.S. and Europe within the next five years, prompting millions of professionals to shift career paths.
It can be scary to think about how in just five years, so much can change, but on the brighter side, these job losses are offset by the creation of new roles and job titles which we haven’t even heard of yet.
In fact, by 2030, the WEF predicts there will be 170 million new jobs, which represents about 14% of today’s total employment. The growth of these new job titles is spurred on by changing economies, market shifts, the focus on clean energy, and AI and technological advancement, leading to demand for new skill sets and the creation of new opportunities we never dreamed would exist.
After all, who ever thought Chief AI Officer would be a thing?
So what primarily concerns us now are two core questions: What jobs will disappear, or are currently becoming obsolete, by 2030? And what can you do to ensure you’re prepared for the roles that will outlast the job market changes and be integral to the future of work?
21 Job Titles That Will Be Obsolete By 2030
McKinsey’s study points out that the jobs most susceptible to elimination over the next few years will be the ones that are fairly predictable and repetitive in their nature. Additionally, the collection and processing of data “are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. This could displace large amounts of labor—for instance, in mortgage origination, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing,” the report states.
Here are some of the roles you can expect to disappear to a greater or less degree over the next five years (extracted from data pulled together from the World Economic Forum, LinkedIn, and sources from authorities like the London Institute of Banking and Technology):
- Postal service clerks
- Bank tellers and related clerks
- Data entry clerks
- Retail cashiers and ticket clerks
- Administrative assistants and executive secretaries
- Printing and related trades workers
- Accounting, bookkeeping and payroll clerks
- Material-recording and stock-keeping clerks
- Transportation attendants and conductors
- Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers
- Graphic designers
- Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Legal officials
- Legal secretaries
- Telemarketers
- Basic IT support roles
- Assembly line workers
- Machine operators
- Picking and handling warehouse workers
- Insurance underwriters
- Travel agents
How To Future-Proof Your Career In 2025
This data leads to the next question: If you work in one of these fields, what can you do now to future-proof your career so you’re not left behind in 2030?
1. Upskill Where The Demand Is
Look at where the market is moving forward by analyzing job reports such as those posted by Coursera and the World Economic Forum, and ask yourself, What skills will I need to develop now to be prepared for the in-demand jobs of the present and of the future? Some of the skills which have already been listed as high-growth skills for 2025 include AI literacy, data analysis, talent leadership, user experience, digital marketing, and critical thinking/problem-solving.
2. Highlight Transferable Skill Stacks
Frame your career identity around your transferable skills and experiences which are shared across multiple roles, especially if your previous job title is irrelevant. Reframe your experiences around outcomes that are needed in most roles such as process improvement, digital management, cross-functional collaboration, and workflow optimization.
Highlight results and metrics, because these will be needed by hiring managers and even by clients if you’re looking for freelance and contract roles.
3. Build Optionality
You never want to be in the position where your job is your only lifeline of financial support and career progression. You need to have several options. This lessens risk and builds career resilience, future-proofing you against uncertain economic times and industry changes, as well as mounting pressure on employers, which ultimately leads to layoffs.
Have several options that you can fall back on. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to work multiple jobs, but what it does mean is that you should have multiple streams of income, such as passive income streams, side hustles, freelance services, or even starting a small family-run brick-and-mortar business.
These 21 job titles might be obsolete, but that doesn’t mean you need to be. What are you going to do today to remain relevant?