Top 8 Endangered Jobs, According to CareerCast

Aug. 21, 2013 — -- intro:With 11.5 million people unemployed and a 7.4 percent unemployment rate, many Americans are hungering for quality jobs, or any job at all.

While technology has assisted in productivity, it has also diminished the need for these eight jobs in a report compiled by CareerCast.com.

Read More: July Jobs Report: Only 162,000 Jobs Added

"To find more relevant employment, you need to be able to spin your skills into a more marketable light or pick up new skills that reflect the changing employment landscape," said Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com.

Here is CareerCast.com's list of endangered jobs in alphabetical order:

quicklist:title: Atmosphere coordinator text: CareerCast describes this job as, "Pseudo bar/club/event patrons tasked with manufacturing a festive atmosphere."

quicklist:title: Compositor text: With publishing shifting increasingly towards the Internet, "the work a compositor would fulfill falls more to designers and app developers," CareerCast notes.

quicklist:title: Data entry keyers and/or word processor text: Thank technology for simplifying the process of converting data into digital files.

quicklist:title: Medium text: Not everyone needs a clairvoyant, CareerCast notes.

quicklist:title: Shoe repairertext: CareerCast notes that many consumers are likely to purchase new shoes than repair old footwear. But don't tell that to the numerous cobblers reviewed on Yelp with devoted fans and five-star reviews who believe a quality shoe can last for years with the help of a skilled cobbler.

quicklist:title: Sign spinner text: CareerCast describes this job as, "Street advertisers try to drive business with cardboard signs, and occasionally costumes and/or physical displays."

quicklist:title: Telephone operator text: CareerCast notes that cell phones have made land lines and payphones "obsolete."

quicklist:title: Travel agent text: The web has endangered the role of a travel agent, though the role has simply morphed in some cases. Numerous websites offer personalized vacation planning via the Internet with the help of these faceless customer service representatives. But there are still some complicated itineraries or lesser-known destinations where a skilled travel agent's help can be invaluable.

To our readers: Do you agree with CareerCast's list, or have suggestions of your own?