The 10 Most Endangered Jobs

The fall of paper and the rise of tech-based tools continue to change the hiring outlook in 2014. Technology is changing almost everything. But it’s these 10 professions — including yours truly, the reporter (which also graced CareerCast’s Worst Jobs of 2014 list)— that are taking a hard hit. The following list was generated from CareerCast’s 2014 Jobs Rated Report and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A lower hiring outlook may not necessarily mean bad news for those already working in that profession, CareerCast says. For instance, the U.S. Postal Service reached a $15 billion borrowing limit in 2012, but it also has a $25 billion surplus in pension funds. The average American employee spends more than two-thirds of his or her day doing work-related tasks. Either way, job seekers beware.

1. Mail Carrier

BLS Annual Median Salary: $53,100Hiring Outlook by 2022: -28%Email, automated bill pay services, cluster mailboxes and new technology that sorts mail automatically are taking a toll on the industry.

2. Farmer

BLS Annual Median Salary: $69,300Hiring Outlook by 2022: -19%Price surges in land, machinery and chemicals have pushed smaller farmers and corporations out of the business, according to the BLS. In addition, farmland continues to be consolidated, and farmers are still at the mercy of climate and price changes.

3. Meter Reader

BLS Annual Median Salary: $36,410Hiring Outlook by 2022: -19%Some meter readers are being squeezed out by utility companies’ remote-viewable meter readers.

4. Newspaper Reporter

BLS Annual Median Salary: : $37,090Hiring Outlook by 2022: -13%Declining advertising sales and subscriptions have forced newspapers to adjust, oftentimes by downsizing.

5. Travel Agent

BLS Annual Median Salary: $34,600Hiring Outlook by 2022: -12%More and more people are using self-serve websites to make travel arrangements. Prospects are better for agents specializing in specific destinations or traveler types.

6. Lumberjack

BLS Annual Median Salary: $24,340Hiring Outlook by 2022: -9%There’s a lower demand for paper, and there has been technological advances in the logging industry.

7. Flight Attendant

BLS Annual Median Salary: $37,240Hiring Outlook by 2022: -7%Cutting down the number of flights and airline mergers are the culprit for this decline.

8. Drill-Press Operator

BLS Annual Median Salary: $32,950Hiring Outlook by 2022: -6%CareerCast cites gridlocked manufacturing hiring and technological advances.

9. Printing Worker

BLS Annual Median Salary: $34,100Hiring Outlook by 2022: -5%Decline in print newspapers and magazines also means for a decline for printing workers.

10. Tax Examiner and Collector

BLS Annual Median Salary: $50,440Hiring Outlook by 2022: -4%Changes will depend on how federal, state and local government budgets shape up.