Source: http://www.open.ac.uk/careers/finding-out-about-the-graduate-labour-market.php

The era of globalization and vast internet development changes the world dramatically, and the labour market is not an exception. As the new high technologies and breakthroughs appear, it is logical that some usual but already outdated goods, services, and occupations are no longer in demand. Several European and American agencies made a few predictions for the model of the future labour market in their countries, while we have tried to analyze the current Russian trends.

Top 5. On the verge of extinction:

1. A Postman
The key difference of the Russian postmen from those in many other countries is that they deliver pensions to the disabled people or pensioners. But as soon as it is possible to switch to the bank cards, their role will rapidly diminish due to the growing popularity and convenience of the electronic mailing. The evolution and increasing use of digital communication has taken a toll on the delivered mail.

2. A Tourist Agent
What’s the use to pay fees to a middleman, when it is easier to buy tickets on-line choosing the best offers and book the hotels globally, searching for the one that suits you? Airline companies simplified the process of booking and registration, and now there is no need to spend precious time in the sales offices of tourist agencies. The exceptions here are mostly elderly people, inexperienced tourists or those who don’t feel rather confident in dealing with the various on-line services.

3. A Printer
Printing work is going to decrease because of the growing popularity of the electronic books and Internet media. Actually, there is an opinion that e-books will never substitute conventional printed books, but we can not deny the fact that more and more people prefer digital media to newspapers.
The role of correctors is likely to decrease, as some special computer programs are capable of doing their job. But still, they are not perfect enough.

4. A Shop Assistant
E-commerce in Russia is evolving all too rapidly. In this case, the shop assistants who don’t want to lag behind, need to get on well with on-line services, and be ready to re-train.                         

5. A Draughtsman
There used to be the whole departments dedicated to the plotting of graphs, tables, diagrams, and charts. To date, designers and engineers do all these procedures with the help of the computer, and there is no need to spend time on drawing lines on the Whatman paper.

There are also several spheres, where some jobs might be substituted for their modern modifications in the future. And the sooner we catch this wake-up call, the better it is for our career development. For example, some educational courses are becoming available for free on-line. They can be downloaded, recorded and revised. This process involves some kind of transformation from a teaching to learning model. And while teaching requires professors and experts, learning only needs couches and course designers.

Another sphere is transportation. In a few decades we’ll probably see the vehicles riding driver-less. The trend might start with cars delivering packages, goods and products. In this case, the demand for drivers and delivery jobs will go down. But on the other hand, traffic monitoring systems will require a professional management team.

All in all, while some jobs are gradually disappearing, the new positions are being created. So it’s better to take a challenge and upgrade the skills and knowledge meeting the needs of today’s labour market.