The Top 10 Jobs That Robots Could Steal From Humans By 2025 Posted on : Aug 12 - 2016

It's the science-fiction nightmare we've all dreaded -- perhaps the rogue computer from "2001: A Space Odyssey" somehow joins forces with the brutal robots from one of "The Terminator" movies to seize your job.

In more realistic terms, you might fear your company's bean counters finding any excuse they can to automate you out of employment. Maybe these manic cost cutters end up cooking a gourmet recipe for a robot economy -- that seemingly inevitable era where inefficient humans are rendered useless by hyper-efficient cyborgs.

Well, something resembling that day may already be here. But it's not as dreary as you or Hollywood has envisioned. At least not yet.

Robotic and artificial intelligence systems being developed by IBM (IBM), Alphabet (GOOGL) unit Google, Tesla Motors (TSLA) and others are sophisticated and cheap enough to spread rapidly through the economy. As a result, more systems will be put to work, drastically altering the job landscape.

"Virtually every industry in existence is likely to become less labor-intensive in future years as new technology is assimilated into existing business models," wrote Janus Capital Group lead portfolio manager Bill Gross in a May 4 Investment Outlook report. He added: "Millions of jobs will be lost over the next 10-15 years."

Routine tasks such as data entry and research could be increasingly automated. But they're the tip of the iceberg, and some professions that could be hit might surprise you.

Among the vulnerable: truck drivers, attorneys, nurses and even nuclear technicians.

"Medicine, manufacturing and even service-intensive jobs are at risk," said Gross. "Investment managers too! Not only blue-collar but now white-collar professionals are being threatened by technological change."

Oxford University researchers studied the future of employment and how susceptible jobs are to computerization. They concluded that a staggering number of jobs are at risk.

"According to our estimates, about 47% of total U.S. employment is at risk," the researchers said.

No Need For Paranoia?

Others see no need for knee-jerk paranoia.

"While automation will eliminate very few occupations entirely in the next decade, it will affect portions of almost all jobs to a greater or lesser degree," according to a McKinsey report released in July.

At-risk doesn't necessarily mean gone. New technologies generally improve productivity, creating higher-value, higher-wage jobs, experts say. They also create fields of work that didn't even exist before.

By one popular estimate, 65% of children entering primary school today will end up working in jobs that don't exist now, according to the World Economic Forum.

Still, the number of jobs in certain fields will likely dwindle in coming years, affecting many people in the workforce. A Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report last December projected overall U.S. employment will grow about 6.5% from 2014 to 2024. That compares to labor force growth of 5.1%.

Here are some middle-class jobs that will be affected by automation in that time frame. Some will grow despite the incursion of automation, some will decline and others will expand at a slower than average rate.

Truck Drivers

Truck drivers are one of the most endangered blue-collar jobs. In May 2015, autonomous trucks began rolling down U.S. highways for the first time after Nevada licensed a new Daimler (DDAIF) Freightliner 18-wheeler called Inspiration. For now, a human has to be in the cab during the prototype phase.

Tesla Motors is working on plans for self-driving, all-electric heavy trucks, CEO Elon Musk wrote in his recent "Master Plan."

Baird analyst Benjamin Hartford says all leading trucking companies are experimenting with autonomous truck technology.

"UPS would be the most logical. I know they have looked at the possibility," Hartford told IBD.

UPS already employs driver-assistance systems on many trucks, but says full autonomy is further off, with regulation being a key issue.

Truck drivers are in short supply now, and self-driving trucks would fill that gap. But if large numbers of self-driving trucks roll out -- with no human in the cab -- Teamsters and other unions would likely resist.

"That will be a potential issue," Hartford said.

Overall, jobs for truck drivers are projected to grow at a slower-than-average 4% rate through 2024. And for light-truck delivery services such as UPS (UPS) and FedEx (FDX), jobs will grow at just a 3% clip.

Modest employment gains could look great next to the longer-therm outlook. Trucks are expected to lead the push for autonomous vehicles on American roads, which could drastically shrink employment among the estimated 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the U.S., starting in the 2020s.

"Improved routing through GPS technology can make existing light-truck drivers more productive, which may limit the demand for additional drivers," the BLS said.

Attorneys

Ross is an artificial intelligence system that does legal research using IBM's Watson supercomputer. It searches through mountains of case files for data points that attorneys can use in court. IBM says Watson can read 40 million documents in 15 seconds, replacing some entry-level attorneys.

The system's inventor, Ross Intelligence, rolled it out in early 2016. It's at work in a few law firms today, including BakerHostetler, which employs more than 900 attorneys across the nation. Users ask spoken questions and Ross reads through "the entire body of law" and returns a cited answer and topical readings from legislation, according to the startup's co-founder and Chief Executive Andrew Arruda.

Machine learning, which gives computers the ability to learn rather than having to be programmed, will make robo-attorneys even more useful.

"Artificial intelligence is going to be included in all software," Arruda told IBD. "It will learn and get better and do a lot more with less as we move away from programming systems to teaching them."

As Ross handles more of the grunt work, it will free experienced attorneys to tackle more cases and do more in-depth research. The BLS estimates that the number of jobs for lawyers will grow 6% by 2024, a bit lower than average. But if more law firms employ AI systems like Ross, that could grow at a slower rate.

Nurses/Health Care

Alphabet's Google recently said its Deep Mind technology research unit is harnessing artificial intelligence in its work with Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. The goal is to develop treatments for ailments such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness among the elderly.

"By allowing earlier detection and treatment of AMD," Google says on its website, "machine learning has the potential to help save the sight of many of these people."

Rising numbers of aging baby boomers requiring more health care, however, will offset productivity gains from AI and robotics. BLS projects the number of jobs for licensed vocational nurses and registered nurses will grow 16% by 2024.

Insurance Underwriters

Underwriters evaluate the risks of insuring specific potential clients to determine how much coverage to provide and the right premium to charge. Automated underwriting software is enabling underwriters to process applications faster.

"As the technology improves, more underwriting decisions can be made automatically," the BLS says. As a result, 11% fewer underwriters will be needed by the mid-2020s.

Surveyors

Employment of surveying and mapping technicians is projected to fall 8% by 2024.

"Advancements in surveying technology, such as robotic total stations, let surveyors complete more work in less time, reducing the demand for surveyors," the BLS said. Still, some surveyors will be needed for tasks that haven't been automated yet, such as certifying boundary lines and reviewing sites for construction.

Geographers

By studying the Earth and its land features, geographers create and modify maps and analyze geographic data to create reports. They use tools such as satellite-based global positioning systems.

More than half of all geographers work for the federal government. Advances in computer technology that create a faster, more efficient work process, combined with government budget cuts, are expected to reduce employment by 2%.

Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers

Public safety communications operators help keep communities safe. But jobs are projected to fall 3% by 2024.

"Consolidation of emergency communication centers, enabled by advances in technology, is expected to reduce the employment of dispatchers," the BLS said. "Still, job prospects should be good because the stressful nature of the jobs results in many workers leaving the occupation," and this turnover opens up positions.

Bank Tellers

When ATMs came into wide use in the 1970s, some observers predicted the number of bank tellers would fall. That didn't happen.

"Job growth for tellers was driven by the expansion of bank branches, where most tellers work," the BLS said.

But as online and mobile banking have grown more common, the number of branches has shrunk. According to market tracker SNL Financial, U.S. banks finished 2015 with 92,997 branches, 1,614 fewer than a year earlier.

"It extended a continuous branch reduction trend that dates back to 2009," SNL said in a Jan. 12 report. The BLS forecasts the number of teller jobs will fall 8% by 2024 to 480,500.

Nuclear Technicians

According to the Nuclear Power Institute, nuclear power accounts for 19% of the electricity generated in the U.S. today. Nuclear power plants have gained greater acceptance in recent years and are seen by some as a cheap, clean energy source. They face tough competition, however, from lower-maintenance renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, both of which are gaining popularity. Some technicians will be needed to maintain and upgrade existing nuclear plants, but employment of nuclear technicians is expected to fall 5%.

Mechanical Drafters

Drafters use software to convert designs of architects and engineers into schematics and technical drawings. The BLS says computer-aided design and other automation tools "allow engineers and architects to perform many tasks that used to be done by drafters." As a result, employment is forecast to fall 3%.

Despite job losses in these fields and others due to advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, the economy should benefit overall from productivity gains and creation of new jobs, according to Matt Anchin, who heads communications and content development as senior vice president for Monster Worldwide's (MWW) Monster.com job site, which lists roughly 5 million jobs.

The jobs market continues to evolve rapidly, Anchin said, and he's optimistic about the overall outlook

"Mobile technology is creating nothing but opportunity," he told IBD. "We see it as a ripple effect.

"Think of transportation, Uber and Lyft, part of the sharing economy," he said. "Humans are remarkably good at adapting as new technologies emerge." Source