(NewsNation) — Health care jobs are expected to boom over the next decade, but several administrative and retail roles are set to shrink as AI and automation reshape the workforce.
Employment in office and administrative support jobs is projected to drop 4% by 2035, shedding around 752,000 positions, according to new Labor Department estimates.
That’s the steepest decline of any major occupational group and well below the 3.5% growth projected for total U.S. employment over the next decade. Health care support jobs, by comparison, are expected to grow 13.3%, the fastest of any group.
The Labor Department attributed the decline in administrative jobs to the “continued integration of automation tools, including those powered by AI.”
Word processors and typists are projected to see the largest percent drop of any job, with employment falling 34% by 2035. Switchboard operators (-26%), data entry keyers (-26%) and telemarketers (-21%) are also near the top of the list.
Some of the fastest-declining jobs already have relatively few workers, meaning even a small drop in employment can result in a large percentage change.
In numeric terms, cashiers top the list, with total employment expected to fall by roughly 200,000, or 6.5%, over the next decade. The number of office clerks is projected to decline by around 156,000, while customer service representatives are set to drop by about 142,000.
The 10 fastest-declining jobs from 2025 to 2035 (Labor Department projections)
| Job | Employment change (2025-2035) | Employment in 2025 | Employment in 2035 (projected) | Median annual wage (2025) |
| Word processors and typists | -34.4% | 40,400 | 26,500 | $49,280 |
| Telephone operators | -27.6% | 3,500 | 2,500 | $41,740 |
| Switchboard operators | -26.0% | 35,400 | 26,200 | $38,630 |
| Data entry keyers | -25.5% | 131,800 | 98,200 | $41,340 |
| Foundry mold and coremakers | -23.0% | 12,700 | 9,800 | $48,110 |
| Patternmakers, metal and plastic | -22.8% | 1,500 | 1,100 | $58,000 |
| Telemarketers | -21.4% | 60,900 | 47,800 | $35,450 |
| Grinding and polishing workers, hand | -19.2% | 10,800 | 8,700 | $42,660 |
| Roof bolters, mining | -18.9% | 2,200 | 1,800 | $78,540 |
| Cutters and trimmers, hand | -18.9% | 5,900 | 4,800 | $38,020 |
The 10 jobs with the largest total employment declines from 2025 to 2035 (Labor Department projections)
| Job | Total employment change (2025-2035) | Employment in 2025 | Employment in 2035 (projected) | % employment change (2025-2035) | Median annual wage (2025) |
| Cashiers | -200,600 | 3.11 million | 2.91 million | -6.5% | $32,880 |
| Office clerks | -156,200 | 2.60 million | 2.44 million | -6.0% | $45,010 |
| Customer service representatives | -141,800 | 2.67 million | 2.52 million | -5.3% | $44,770 |
| Secretaries and administrative assistants: | -114,100 | 1.89 million | 1.78 million | -6.0% | $47,540 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks | -85,600 | 1.53 million | 1.45 million | -5.6% | $50,670 |
| Shipping, receiving and inventory clerks: | -62,800 | 827,700 | 765,000 | -7.6% | $45,260 |
| First-line supervisors of retail sales workers: | -52,500 | 1.42 million | 1.37 million | -3.7% | $48,520 |
| Tellers | -44,700 | 339,200 | 294,500 | -13.2% | $43,030 |
| Data entry keyers | -33,600 | 131,800 | 98,200 | -25.5% | $41,340 |
| Correctional officers and jailers | -29,500 | 397,800 | 368,200 | -7.4% | $58,940 |
Source:
newsnationnow.com
