Watch and clock repairers are among the jobs projected to see a large decline in employment from 2021 to 2031.
That's according to the latest projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing what employment may look like for various occupations in 2031. The base year for these projections was 2021, when the US was still adding back jobs across different industries after the pandemic.
Watch and clock repairers are projected to see employment fall from 2,200 in 2021 to 1,700 in 2031, or a decline of 24.7%. But the job that is projected to see the largest percent decrease in employment is word processors and typists; that occupation is projected to see employment drop 38.2%, from 46,100 in 2021 to 28,500 in 2031.
Based on median annual pay data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program in May 2021, eight of the 10 jobs that are projected to see employment dwindle the most make less than the median annual pay in the US. That includes hand cutters and trimmers which make $30,230, or $15,530 less than the median annual pay of $45,760.
On the other hand, nuclear power reactor operators, which is the fourth fastest-declining job, actually had average pay in the six figures. This job also usually only requires a high school diploma or equivalent for entry.
Below are the 20 jobs that are projected to see the largest percent declines in employment from 2021 to 2031, along with their pay from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.