Table 8. The 30 occupations with the largest employment declines, 2008-18
(In thousands)
Occupation Occupational group Employment Change Most significant source of
2008 2018 Number Percent postsecondary education
or training (1)
Farmers and ranchers............................ Management, business, and financial
occupations (2).................... 986 907 -79 -8.0 Long-term on-the-job training
Sewing machine operators........................ Production occupations............... 212 141 -72 -33.7 Moderate-term on-the-job
training
Order clerks.................................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 246 182 -64 -26.1 Short-term on-the-job training
Postal service mail sorters, processors, and
processing machine operators................... Office and administrative support
occupations..............,,........ 180 125 -55 -30.3 Short-term on-the-job training
File clerks..................................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 212 163 -50 -23.4 Short-term on-the-job training
Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks......... Office and administrative support
occupations........ ............... 751 701 -49 -6.6 Short-term on-the-job training
Telemarketers................................... Sales and related occupations........ 342 304 -38 -11.1 Short-term on-the-job training
First-line supervisors/managers of production
and operating workers......................... Production occupations............... 681 646 -36 -5.2 Work experience in a related
occupation
Office and administrative support workers,
all other..................................... Office and administrative support
occupations.... ................... 307 271 -36 -11.6 Short-term on-the-job training
Packers and packagers, hand..................... Transportation and material moving
occupations........................ 759 725 -34 -4.5 Short-term on-the-job training
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters,
operators, and tenders, metal and plastic .... Production occupations............... 237 204 -33 -14.1 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers.. Production occupations............... 213 182 -31 -14.7 Short-term on-the-job training
Machine feeders and offbearers.................. Transportation and material moving
occupations........................ 141 110 -31 -22.2 Short-term on-the-job training
Door-to-door sales workers, news and street
vendors, and related workers.................. Sales and related occupations........ 182 155 -27 -14.8 Short-term on-the-job training
Information and record clerks, all other........ Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 227 200 -27 -11.8 Short-term on-the-job training
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and
tenders....................................... Production occupations............... 103 81 -22 -21.5 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Computer operators.............................. Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 110 90 -21 -18.6 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Machinists...................................... Production occupations............... 422 402 -19 -4.6 Long-term on-the-job training
Laborers and freight, stock, and material
movers, hand.................................. Transportation and material moving
occupations........................ 2,317 2,299 -19 -.8 Short-term on-the-job training
Miscellaneous agricultural workers.............. Farming, fishing, and forestry
occupations........................ 807 789 -18 -2.3 Short-term on-the-job training
Data entry keyers............................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 284 267 -17 -6.1 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and
weighers...................................... Production occupations............... 465 448 -17 -3.6 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Switchboard operators, including answering
service....................................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 155 138 -17 -10.9 Short-term on-the-job training
Mail clerks and mail machine operators,
except postal service......................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 141 125 -17 -11.8 Short-term on-the-job training
Lathe and turning machine tool setters,
operators and tenders, metal and plastic...... Production occupations............... 56 41 -15 -26.7 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing
machine tool setters, operators, and
tenders, metal and plastic.................... Production occupations............... 93 78 -15 -15.9 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out
machine setters, operators, and tenders....... Production occupations............... 35 21 -14 -40.7 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Postal service clerks........................... Office and administrative support
occupations........................ 76 62 -14 -18.0 Short-term on-the-job training
Multiple machine tool setters, operators,
and tenders, metal and plastic................ Production occupations............... 86 73 -13 -14.7 Moderate-term on-the-job training
Photographic processing machine operators....... Production occupations............... 51 39 -13 -24.3 Short-term on-the-job training
1 An occupation is placed into 1 of 11 categories that best describes the postsecondary education or training needed by most workers to become
fully qualified in that occupation. For more information about the categories, see Measures of Education and training, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/
emp/ep_projections_methods.htm.
2 Major occupational groups 11-0000 through 13-0000 in the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).
