Exploring No Longer In-Demand Careers

Every Labor Day, the country pauses to acknowledge the challenges faced by workers or young professionals across all industries, reflecting on their current work conditions and wages. The World Bank emphasizes how employment not only fuels economic growth but also contributes to social development.

As technology has advanced, many jobs have changed or disappeared entirely, replaced by automation. Here's a casual look at some no longer in-demand careers that were once common but have since vanished due to technological progress.

Human alarm clock

If you were the kind of person who needed a human alarm clock to wake you up despite having multiple alarms on your phone, there were actual people who did this job. They were known as "knocker uppers."

Every morning, they would use a long stick to tap on your windows, a common practice in the streets of London, as dockers had no set working hours. However, this job is no longer necessary since you can easily set alarms on your phones, which are usually closer to you than a window.

Lights on

This job was all about ensuring that every street lamp post illuminated your path at night. They were known as "lamplighters." Back in the era before electric light bulbs, lamplighters in parts of Europe played a crucial role in illuminating their cities during the dark hours.

Their routine involved climbing up to the street lamp posts powered by gas, candles, or oil in the evening. As dawn broke, they would extinguish these lights. Nowadays, you won't come across lamplighters since you can easily brighten your room with a simple switch.

Going up?

Elevator operators, though sometimes still found in our malls or other establishments, are no longer as essential as they once were. In the past, these operators had to manually open and close elevator doors for passengers, a task that is now automated in modern elevators. 

They were also responsible for determining the direction and speed of the elevator, ensuring that passengers reached their desired floors efficiently and safely. However, as elevator technology has advanced significantly, their role has diminished, and most elevators now operate seamlessly without the need for human intervention.

Indeed, a no longer in-demand career

When calling a hotline number, you're typically directed to press a specific number for your concern, similar to how switchboard operators operated in the past. These operators, like modern call center agents, helped connect you to the person you needed to speak with, a process that was more complex compared to today's streamlined methods.

Switchboard operators played a vital role in connecting callers across different lines by manually connecting lines via the switchboard. Communicating through telephones was much more complex back then than it is with the simplicity of smartphones today.

Listen up!

Did you come across the term Umalohokan during your Filipino history class? They were like pre-colonial "town criers," responsible for loudly announcing daily public announcements in busy areas such as plazas to ensure everyone was informed.

Today, if someone were to shout in a public space, it might seem like they're causing a disturbance. However, town criers had a specific role: to capture your attention so you would listen to critical information. This profession has become redundant as modern technology allows us to access news with just a click or swipe.