How likely are these jobs to still be around in let’s say 5 years?

G

Goodtymz8

New Member
Jurisdiction
California
I saw this on Instagram and it scared me. I love my warehouse job but it said in a year it will be gone. I'm 29 and want to retire there because it's great. How true can it be that it'll be gone in 5+ years, let alone 1? What about 30-40? For the record I still see cashiers despite self checkouts.
 
Goodtymz8 said:
I saw this on Instagram and it scared me. I love my warehouse job but it said in a year it will be gone. I'm 29 and want to retire there because it's great. How true can it be that it'll be gone in 5+ years, let alone 1? What about 30-40? For the record I still see cashiers despite self checkouts. <Link Redacted>
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I'd say that you need to stop worrying about every little thing.
 
Goodtymz8 said:
So you do mean basically that Instagram post ending in 5+ years sounds too baseless?
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No, I mean you need to stop worrying about every little thing. Your job could be gone tomorrow...or you could be running the place. There's no way any of us can really guess.

As for the "experts"...where are the flying cars?
 
Zigner said:
No, I mean you need to stop worrying about every little thing. Your job could be gone tomorrow...or you could be running the place. There's no way any of us can really guess.

As for the "experts"...where are the flying cars?
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pardon and I think you did, but you did click the job link right?
 
The only certain thing is change. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't even know what this is

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How about this: you should be continually working to expand your own knowledge, skills, and abilities so that you become more and more attractive to an employer over time. That way even if you do lose your job, which can happen through no fault of your own, you will find a new one quickly.
 
I went to work as a bank teller many years ago, when ATMs were just coming onto the scene. A lot of people felt that within 5 years, ATMs would replace actual bank tellers.

It worried me a bit, since I loved working for the bank and wanted to be able to stay with them. I also understood that I might not want to remain in the same position for my entire career, so I took opportunities to learn new things and grow within the company.

I still work for the same bank, having worked my way over the years from teller to VP in charge of Human Resources. I plan on retiring next year on my 40-year anniversary.

And we still employ just as many tellers as we did back in 1982.
 
I worked for many years for the Department of Labor, getting people jobs, working with employers, and working with people who had lost their jobs. I even spent some quality time closing businesses as manufacturing went into its death throes in the United States, and things have really changed. The ONE thing I would say to anyone is: Do not count on ANY job being permanent.

What seems to be going on with you is anxiety. You're trolling the internet, looking for something to worry about. A job is one of those great possibilities. If you are a person who has constant anxiety, you need to get treatment for your anxiety. If you do not get rid of your anxiety, and your job does turn out to be permanent, or if you inherit millions or win powerball and no longer need it, OR you you become too disabled to do your job, or you really are downsized by machines taking over and never find another job ever, either way, you'll be miserable a whole lot of the time worrying about stuff that never happens. The anxiety is what is causing your misery, not the likelihood of your job being done away with.

Right now, we have the technology to do every single job in the warehouse where you work robotically. It has not yet become profitable enough for them to make the necessary changes. The labor shortages recently have stepped up the pace of the replacement of people with machines. Been to the grocery store lately?

But you will get no guarantees from me that ANY job you can come up with is going to last forever. Looking for work is not usually a fun experience, particularly when you are broke and desperate. Being unemployed is almost always anxiety producing.Most people hate being in this position. But that doesn't mean you shop desperately for a job that never will end.

My advice to you is, firstly, deal with the anxiety. Second, keep working out mentally as far as acquiring new skills, advancing yourself at your job, thinking of what you'd like to do besides work there.

And third, do not financially over extend yourself, assuming that any job or source of income will last for any length of time. Don't buy vehicles with massive payments for 60 months if you don't have an emergency fund in place, don't incur a lot of debt so that you'd be ruined if you missed a couple of paychecks. THIS is the best form of anxiety free living you can possibly enjoy.
 
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This is an understandable anxiety. In the past year I have been completing work related to technology management where so many human functions are replaced by machines, computers, robots, etc. and there is a question of what is the net overall loss - is it fewer jobs available or fewer of some types of jobs available and more in others. Technology is expensive. Many manual jobs won't be gone overnight. But in a world gettng increasingly smaller with fewer larger players, it's very difficult to stay still. Sadly, there is no contractual right for continued employment (unless you've been granted one) and policy towards employee retention and investment has changed.

As others have mentioned, you can't feasibly contract someone into allowing you to retain your job for a variety of reasons, including practical. If you're doing good work and they are doing well, there is no reason to fear. But I think that in any job, there is always a need to see what is coming up behind you. It may not be your employer - it could be an industry. Changes could be national or international. Just enjoy life and keep your eyes open. Good luck.
 

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