The recent buyouts at General Motors, Delphi Corporation or Ford caught some people off guard. 

Of course they say hindsight is 20/20 and many people are now looking backwards and realizing that the writing about declining professions, has been on the wall for a long time.  Research shows that buyouts and changes in the auto industry has been a long time coming and some workers may have used the opportunity to retool for new careers in the future.  

As we evaluate our own careers we should be thinking about what lessons we can learn from this latest round of buyouts in the automotive industry.  We must constantly scan the internal and external environments to see what is happening in our industry.  Look not only at your company, but at other companies in your industry.   Pay attention to what is happening with your company's vendors and customers as well and read national and regional reports on growing or declining occupations.

One good sign or indicator to watch is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of the top 50 occupations with declining employment.  These are the occupations that are projected to have the largest decline in number of people employed in the United States between 2006 and 2016.

Many times we do not see these lists because we just do not know where to look.  Sometimes though people avoid paying attention to these lists because they want to stay positive and fear the alternatives they might have to explore.  It is important to really take responsibility for our own career choices and start looking at these indicators and warning signs.  The warning signs give us the chance to prepare by:

- dusting off and updating old resumes and career portfolios

- learning about the latest job interview types - Assessment, Behavioral or Speed

- exploring new or related careers

- picking up new job skills at work to expand your value

- learning new skills in a different area or department at work

- going back to school and signing up for a vocational program

- becoming a go-to expert in your field

- relocating to another state where your skills or region may be more in demand

Here are the Top 20 declining occupations from the list.  You might not recognize most of these jobs in the top 20 but I am sure you will recognize others from this Top 50 list.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics will give you additional specific details for job projections in your specific state as well. 

1. Photographic processing machine operators 

2. File clerks

3. Wood model makers

4. Wood Patternmakers 

5. Telephone operators 

6. Photographic process workers 

7. Shoe machine operators and tenders 

8. Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders 

9. Coil winders, tapers, and finishers

10. Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

11. Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders

12. Fabric and apparel patternmakers

13. Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders

14. Sewing machine operators

15. Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers

16. Computer operators

17. Order Clerks

18. Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders

19. Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

20. Foundry mold and core makers