World Economic Forum – These jobs are set to disappear fastest in the US – Written by Gus Lubin, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider published in collaboration with Business Insider.

America is going to see some huge employment shifts in the next decade, as in past decades, thanks above all to technology.

The biggest losers? Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks, whose ranks are projected to shrink by 149,000 from 2014 to 2024.

We pulled the 12 jobs with the largest total declines in Bureau of Labor Statistics projections (see our past coverage for largest percent declines). Keep scrolling to see who’s losing the future.

12. Computer programmers

They write and test code that allows computer applications and software programs to function properly. Their jobs are at risk primarily because of global outsourcing.

Median annual pay: $80,000

US employment in 2014: 329,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 302,000

Projected decline: 27,000 (8%)

11. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

They set up or operate metal or plastic molding, casting, or coremaking machines to mold or cast metal or thermoplastic parts or products. Their jobs are at risk as companies switch to computer and robot-controlled machines.

Median annual pay: $29,000

US employment in 2014: 130,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 97,000

Projected decline: 32,000 (25%)

10. Switchboard operators, including answering service

They operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. Their jobs are at risk due to increased automation and online services.

Median annual pay: $27,000

US employment in 2014: 112,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 76,000

Projected decline: 37,000 (33%)

9. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

They set up or operate machines to saw, cut, shear, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic materials. Their jobs are at risk as companies switch to computer and robot-controlled machines.

Median annual pay: $31,000

US employment in 2014: 192,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 153,000

Projected decline: 40,000 (21%)

8. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators

They prepare incoming and outgoing mail for distribution at post offices and mail processing centers. Their jobs are at risk due to automatic mail sorting technology and the switch to online services.

Median annual pay: $57,000

US employment in 2014: 118,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 78,000

Projected decline: 40,000 (34%)

7. Tellers

They are responsible for accurately processing routine transactions at a bank. Their jobs are at risk due to the rise of online banking and mobile apps.

Median annual pay: $26,000

US employment in 2014: 521,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 481,000

Projected decline: 40,000 (8%)

6. Sewing machine operators

They operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products. Their jobs are at risk due to increased automation and outsourcing.

Median annual pay: $23,000

US employment in 2014: 154,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 112,000

Projected decline: 42,000 (27%)

5. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

They perform numerous tasks related to growing and harvesting grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other crops. Their jobs are at risk as farms consolidate and adopt technology that raises output per farmer.

Median annual pay: $20,000

US employment in 2014: 470,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 427,000

Projected decline: 43,000 (9%)

4. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

They perform clerical and administrative duties. Their jobs are at risk as technology automates or simplifies much of their work.

Median annual pay: $53,000

US employment in 2014: 777,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 732,000

Projected decline: 45,000 (6%)

3. Postal service mail carriers

They deliver mail to homes and businesses in cities, towns, and rural areas. Their jobs are at risk due to automated sorting technology and the switch to online services.

Median annual pay: $58,000

US employment in 2014: 297,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 219,000

Projected decline: 78,000 (26%)

2. Cooks, fast food

They prepare a limited selection of menu items in fast-food restaurants. Their jobs are at risk due to increased automation.

Median annual pay: $19,000

US employment in 2014: 524,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 444,000

Projected decline: 80,000 (15%)

1. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks

They record financial transactions, update statements, and check financial records for accuracy. Their jobs are at risk because of technological changes that automate and otherwise simplify this work.

Median annual pay: $37,000

US employment in 2014: 1,760,000

Projected US employment in 2024: 1,612,000

Projected decline: 149,000 (8%)

 

The World Economic Forum – Cash bans and citizen plans: The digitization of India – Written by Tom Ward, Writer, Futurism

In brief

India has made the largest changes in identification and monetization that the country — and most of the world — has ever seen by introducing a nationwide ID database and largely eliminating physical currency. This has the potential to transform the rest of the world as well.

Cash bans and digital plans

Last November, as part of a controversial master plan to make India a cashless and digitized society, the Prime minister Narendra Modi announced that Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes were to be demonetized, which effectively stripped the value of 86 percent of the country’s circulating cash.

The move was one of the last stages of the plan, after the groundwork had been laid by introducing the Aadhaar biometric database, which gave 95 percent of the population a digital proof of identity in 2016. Aadhaar was augmented by India Stack, which allowed people to store and share information such as addresses, bank statements, employment records, and tax filings — all of which were ratified by the Aashaar system.

The key aspect of India Stack was giving everyone in the country access to one of 11 Payment Banks which could manage payments and transfers but not issue loans. Eliminating cash forced people to adopt this new digital infrastructure, causing 270 million people to open bank accounts and 10 billion dollars to be deposited in the first three years — this generated momentum for what may evolve into the first cashless society in the world.

A case for cashless?

The decision has significant ramifications not only for India, but for the rest of the world as well. For India, there will be friction initially because of the preeminence of cash-based transfers in the society: it was estimated earlier this year that 78 percent of transactions in the country still used cash.

This may be justified, though, by the longer term gains. The move could curb corruption and “black money” in India as well introduce a more robust, effective tax system. It could also make payments a completely secure affair — bringing an unprecedented formality and modern bureaucracy to the Indian economy.

The worldwide ramifications of India’s digitization are serious too. Raoul Pal, former manager of GLG Global Macro Fund, wrote in an editorial for Mauldin Economics, “It may well be a bitcoin killer or at best provide the framework for how block chain technology could be applied in the real world.”

Even if it does not herald the end of bitcoin, the move will prove an interesting experiment to observe for other countries looking to go cashless, such as Sweden, which has seen a 40 percent reduction in cash and coin in circulation.