Employment Projections > Data > Occupations with the largest job declines

Occupations with the largest job declines

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Table 1.6 Occupations with the largest job declines, 2016 and projected 2026
(Numbers in thousands)

2016 National Employment Matrix title and code

Employment

Change, 2016–26

Median annual wage, 2018(1)

2016

2026

Number

Percent

Total, all occupations

00-0000

156,063.8

167,582.3

11,518.6

7.4

$38,640

Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive

43-6014

2,536.2

2,371.3

-164.9

-6.5

$36,630

Team assemblers

51-2092

1,130.9

985.9

-145.0

-12.8

—

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

43-6011

685.3

566.2

-119.2

-17.4

$59,340

Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

51-9061

520.7

465.2

-55.5

-10.7

$38,250

Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers

51-2022

218.9

173.3

-45.6

-20.8

—

Data entry keyers

43-9021

203.8

160.6

-43.3

-21.2

$32,170

Tellers

43-3071

502.7

460.9

-41.8

-8.3

$29,450

Postal service mail carriers

43-5052

316.7

278.5

-38.2

-12.1

$55,210

Legal secretaries

43-6012

194.7

157.5

-37.1

-19.1

$46,360

Correctional officers and jailers

33-3012

450.0

415.5

-34.5

-7.7

$44,330

Assemblers and fabricators, all other

51-2099

232.4

199.8

-32.6

-14.0

—

Office clerks, general

43-9061

3,117.7

3,086.0

-31.8

-1.0

$32,730

Cashiers

41-2011

3,555.5

3,524.9

-30.6

-0.9

$22,430

Cooks, fast food

35-2011

517.6

490.5

-27.1

-5.2

$22,330

Sewing machine operators

51-6031

153.9

128.2

-25.7

-16.7

$25,030

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

43-3031

1,730.5

1,705.3

-25.2

-1.5

$40,240

Word processors and typists

43-9022

74.9

50.1

-24.8

-33.1

$39,750

Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4072

145.4

123.6

-21.8

-15.0

$31,480

Computer programmers

15-1131

294.9

273.6

-21.3

-7.2

$84,280

Printing press operators

51-5112

178.7

160.2

-18.6

-10.4

$36,220

Switchboard operators, including answering service

43-2011

93.2

74.7

-18.5

-19.9

$29,420

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

49-2022

237.6

219.4

-18.2

-7.6

$56,100

Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

43-5053

106.7

89.1

-17.5

-16.5

$58,770

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products

13-1023

309.4

292.1

-17.4

-5.6

—

Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4031

192.7

175.9

-16.8

-8.7

$34,460

File clerks

43-4071

135.0

121.0

-14.0

-10.4

$31,700

Chief executives

11-1011

308.9

296.8

-12.1

-3.9

$189,600

Computer operators

43-9011

51.5

39.7

-11.8

-22.8

$45,840

Structural metal fabricators and fitters

51-2041

77.0

65.2

-11.8

-15.3

$39,290

Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4021

72.3

61.3

-11.0

-15.2

$35,150

Footnotes:
  (1) Data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage data cover non-farm wage and salary workers and do not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers.
Note: Data is unavailalbe for values denoted with a "—".
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Last Modified Date: April 12, 2019