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The Most Common Jobs of the Past That Have Now Vanished

These jobs once accounted for a significant share of the workforce.

By Laura Gesualdi-Gilmore

Edited by Amanda Machado

Updated Jan. 15, 2026

Keeping tabs on which jobs are in high demand is a surefire way to keep work skills relevant and to get ahead financially. The job market is ever-changing, and with modern technology, high-demand jobs come and go much faster than they once did. To give the American people a clear picture of the job market, the Labor Department regularly releases updates on which jobs are on the verge of becoming obsolete.

These 12 jobs were once considered very in-demand and reliable, but have now practically vanished.

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Shoemakers/repairers

About 150 years ago, shoemakers and repairers (cobblers) made up a significant portion of the workforce. The Washington Post reports that there was a shoemaker for every 50 or so workers in the U.S. Shoe manufacturing obviously cut into the need for these skilled workers. While you can still find cobblers today, the demand is nowhere near what it once was.

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Farmers

According to data analyzed by The Post, about 32% of free, working Americans worked on farms in 1860, including those who owned farms and laborers. That share has dropped to just 0.3% today. While agricultural workers are still needed to care for crops and animals today, the data show modern farming techniques require far fewer humans.

Sailors or deck hands

Sailors were once so common that they made up about 1 in 100 of all U.S. workers. Now, the job is rare enough that the BLS lumps data on these workers together with marine oilers. Modern workers might perform similar duties, like standing watch on vessels and performing a variety of maintenance tasks, but with machine and robotics advancements, far fewer hands are needed on deck these days.

Tailors

At the turn of the 20th century, tailors made up about 1% of the U.S. workforce. Yet, by the 1950s, ramped up manufacturing had done a number on the demand for skilled garment makers. Today, skilled tailors may find work at popular dress shops or drycleaners, but cheap, easily accessible clothing and fashion trends have reduced much of the need for them.

Mine workers

Mining jobs once made up as much as 2.5% of the American workforce, but demand has dropped so much that the work has almost disappeared. The BLS salary data shows that mining and geology engineers make over $100,000 a year, but the fancy title requires much more than physical labor, usually a bachelor's in engineering. Plus, growing demand is 1% lower than average.

Blacksmiths

It's not surprising that blacksmiths, or those who work with metals to create a variety of tools, are no longer needed in many industries where they once were. About 150 years ago, it was one of the most common jobs in the U.S., accounting for 1.3% of the workforce. By 1980, manufacturing made the job rare (though not completely obsolete).

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Brickmasons

Brickmason is another job that's seen demand plummet in the past 100 or so years as the construction business has evolved. Workers are still needed to lay and bind building materials like bricks, tiles, and blocks. However, modern machinery has seriously cut into the demand for brickmasons and stonemasons, who once made up about 1% of all working Americans.

Cabinetmakers

Another skilled trade that's seen a steep drop in demand over the past century is cabinetmakers. The work involves shaping and assembling wood for a variety of products. Employment of cabinetmakers started to drop in the 1940s and has fallen steadily since. Even when looking at salary data from the BLS, the Bureau if Labor Statistics lumps cabinetmakers together with bench carpenters.

Millers

Millers operate machines at mills to grind grain into flour. Back in the mid-19th century, they made up about 1% of all U.S. workers. While people still work with machines in mills, the job and demand have changed thanks to automation, and employment plummeted in the 20th century.

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Compositor or typesetter

The traditional role of manually setting type is virtually gone because digital publishing and desktop publishing software have replaced it. Some specialized printing houses or letterpress enthusiasts still practice it, but it's no longer a mainstream job.

In the mid-19th century, these skilled workers accounted for about 1% of the workforce, but employment began to decline as the 20th century approached.

Fishermen

Demand has dropped significantly for fishermen over the past 150 years, as commercial fishing has relied more on machinery and less on human labor. The BLS lumped together the most recent salary data for fishing and hunting workers, but because demand is low, the latest available salary averages are from 2017.

Plasterer

In the mid-20th century, workers who could apply plaster to interior and exterior walls or decorative moldings were in high demand. With changing tastes and building processes, that demand began to plummet around the 1970s and remains low today. The BLS estimates that just over 22,000 people are plasterers workers today.

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Bottom line

Once upon a time, training for one of the above jobs was a reliable way to make a paycheck stretch a bit further. Today, demand is gone, or nearly gone, for most of them. Other long-lost jobs include sawyers (sawmill workers), boatmen, and boardinghouse keepers.

It's hard to predict the future with certainty, but society and its demands are ever-changing, and as we create tools to help with our daily tasks, learning how to manage these new technologies and tools might be the best way to guarantee a steady income.

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