Jobs That Have Been Eliminated Due to Technology

Author:: Meshack Muia

In the last few years, robots and computers have enhanced their efficiency and capabilities and changed the majority of human jobs. Below is a compilation of occupations that have been displaced or replaced by machines and computers.

Vehicle drivers

Self-driving cars have become a reality. With systems already in use today, such as driving vehicles in Tesla and autonomous test vehicles in Uber, this technology is beginning to be used by more and more companies and utilities. If self-driving cars become more popular, the potential for job losses is astounding as it could replace millions of bus drivers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, and other transport staff.

Telephone controllers and telemarketers

We have all received an automatic call, like a telemarketing call. As speech recognition and text-to-speech technology become more advanced, it becomes easier for businesses to implement these systems, and it becomes harder for people to know if they are talking to a person.

Bank accountants and clerks

In the past, it was not usual for banks to have multiple workers. Today, ATM's are a way for people to deposit and withdraw money from banks at any time of the day by replacing human workers.

Collection of information, analysts, and researchers

Law firms have also replaced Paralegal and other staff with e-discovery attorneys and research robots. These robots are capable of scanning millions of documents and identifying important information, phone numbers, email addresses, and other keyword-based information.
Many financial analysts are being replaced by computer programs that can be used to analyze and discover patterns and trends in financial data. Automating these patterns and trends is used to make investments and to detect financial opportunities or risks more effectively.

Travel Agents'

Before the internet, a lot of people worked as travel agents to search, arrange, and book good travel deals. Now, thanks to the Internet and machines, you can do it yourself without the need for a travel agent.

Elevator operators

Anyone who has used the elevator knows it's not hard- push the button, and you're on your way. However, the first lifts do not end at the desired destination. Instead, they worked manually with a big lever and the operator had to find out when to lift the elevator and when to open and lock the doors.

Technology on today's user-driven lifts does it all for you. You will still find elevator operators in some luxury hotels where clients are too rich to push buttons on their own.

Switchboard operator

It was a job created by a technological revolution, but the days of manual attendants are long gone. Previously, a telephone operator had to physically connect by plugging the telephone plug into the appropriate jack. You can also join the call. At the largest exchanges, executives rushed on skates to keep up with all the staff. Switch operators still exist in organizations today, although the systems are completely computerized.

Projectionist of film

When the theaters opened, the projectionist had to operate mechanical projectors with 35mm celluloid rollers. This was quite a physical task and required a skilled operator to load and adjust film spools to make the film run smoothly. Now we've switched to digital projectors that are like professional BT TV boxes, so easy that anyone working in a movie theater can load movies. As a result, the role of film projectionists has been reduced to near extinction, although some of the art-house cinemas still have 35 mm projectors to show classic film prints.

Journalists and reporters

Many news outlets and blogs are now using computer-assisted writing and information collection by software robots. If you're reading news stories on the Internet, you've probably read a computer-generated story, not a human one. When software gets smarter, more journalists and reporter positions will be replaced.

Drones

If drones become more advanced, they can be suited to areas such as human freight aircraft used by companies such as FedEx and UPS to replace pilots. The U.S. military has also started to use autonomous drones for surveillance and even attacks. Many corporations now want to replace their fleet of pilots with computer-assisted pilots that can be remotely controlled.

Stock traders

The exchange is now filled with computers that are now generating and selling stock online and has effectively ended many of the jobs of exchange traders around the world. Formerly there were a lot of stock traders specializing in this area, but today computers are becoming new stock traders.