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Is technology robbing us of an income?

Major furtherance in technology has more than doubled worker productivity since 1970. However, many jobs are now becoming increasingly obsolete for various reasons. Readme.ae takes a look at 10 jobs in decreasing demand.

Machinists
These skilled craftsmen, who specialise in the machine sculpting of high-precision metal parts, work primarily in the waning manufacturing industry. Though the decline of machinists is slow compared to many other occupations, many of these labourers will lose their jobs, facing stiff competition from foreign metal-part manufacturers. Improvements in CNC (computer numerical control) machine tools, autoloaders and high-speed machining has increased productivity and decreased the demand for machinists.
Average Pay - Dhs140,000 Job Loses - 5 per cent

First-Line Supervisors
As with other professions, the increase in automation, gains in productivity and competition from overseas has decreased the need for assembly workers in manufacturing. And without assembly workers, there is no one to supervise. Many direct supervisors that work in the World's struggling manufacturing industry will not be around in the coming years.
Average Pay - Dhs195,000 Job Loses - 5 per cent

Farmers
This profession has sadly seen large employment declines in the industrial age of the 21st century. Advancements in fertiliser and technology have exponentially improved productivity in farming; increasing food yields by 158 per cent since 1948 and dramatically reducing the need for farmhands. A few large farms manage to stay ahead of many smaller farms through government subsidies - which they qualify for because they produce more food per worker for less cost. In addition, the enormous costs of land, machinery, seed and fertiliser have made farming a venture only affordable to wealthier-farmers and corporations.
Average Pay - Dhs120,000 Job Loses - 8 per cent

Computer Operators
Despite its title, this job is less common and less relevant to today's needs than you might think. During the days when many corporations had mainframe computers that filled large rooms and calculated tons of data, computer operators would run tests on the large machines to ensure that they were operating smoothly. Today's corporations are opting for smaller computers featuring efficient operating programs over the space-hogging mainframe computers of past. Nearly one in five of the computer operators that are around today will move out of the profession in the next seven years.
Average Pay - Dhs135,000 Job Loses - 19 per cent

Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators and Tenders
As the job title suggests, these middle-class workers install, operate, and repair the machines that make every day paper products. Unfortunately for them, however, advances in technology have allowed society to regularly consume media and communicate long distances via computer and television screens instead of paper. Add this to the fact that more people and businesses are recycling, and you can say "going green" has led to a decline in the paper industry. Expect one in five of these workers to find another profession in the next few years.
Average Pay - Dhs125,000 Job Loses - 22 per cent

Desktop Publishers
Similar to a print-media graphic designer, desktop publishers use computers to put together pictures and text to make brochures, books, calendars, newsletters and newspapers. Learning basic desktop publishing skills and using software like Microsoft PowerPoint is now a regular job function for most office workers, which has caused the demand for desktop publishers to drop dramatically. Only 20,400 desktop publishers in the United States are expected to remain employed in 2018.
Average Pay - Dhs135,000 Job Loses - 23 per cent

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
The fourth fastest declining occupation, Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers are responsible for drawing and constructing fabric patterns and layouts. But advancements in textile manufacturing technology have allowed fewer workers to produce greater output of fabrics and fabric patterns - making productivity the job killer for this occupation as well. In addition, the relentless competition from foreign textile manufacturers, who can produce textiles more cheaply and efficiently, has made textile manufacturing one of the fastest declining industries in the world. Expect wages to decline by a whopping 48 per cent in this industry and the number of patternmakers dwindling in most countries over the next few years.
Average Pay - Dhs140,000 Job Loses - 27 per cent

Auto Workers
With the bankruptcy of Chrysler and General Motors, auto worker jobs are dropping. Thousands of workers are being laid off as machines are taking over their workload. With so many places suffering from the recession, people are no longer buying new cars at such an alarming rate. We may be better off here in the UAE, but the average age of a car in the US is now almost 11 years, which effectively means that there is no need for as many auto workers as before.
Average Pay - Dhs110,000 Job Loses - 28 per cent

Postal Service Mail Sorters and Processors
The workers who prepare the incoming and outgoing mail for distribution throughout our complex postal system may become more obsolete in the future. New automated equipment that quickly and efficiently sorts and processes mail will greatly reduce the need for these workers in the coming years. Further dampening the demand for these workers, companies are increasingly taking advantage of postage rate discounts by pre-sorting mail before it arrives at the Post Office. Nearly one-third of the current Postal Mail Sorters and Processors in today's work force will not be working in that profession by 2018.

Average Pay - Dhs180,000 Job Loses - 30 per cent

Semiconductor Processors
This position has the fastest rate of decline on our list, but not for the reasons you might expect. Because a processing chip's success depends on how fast and powerful it is, the semiconductor components must be built smaller and smaller in order for chips to send data more quickly. Today's processing chips, such as the Intel Core i Processors, have semiconductors that are nanometers (one millionth of a millimeter) in size, which is perfect for finely-tuned machines to assemble but far too small for any human to interact with during production. In addition, dust and other particles that we carry on our skin can interfere with and ruin the micro-sized components during production. These factors make machines better suited for this line of work.
Average Pay - Dhs115,000   Job Loses - 32 per cent

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