Press Operators Top the List … of Shrinking Jobs

Printing made the news last week — and not in a good way. A CBS report last Friday listed five middle-class careers that are growing — and five that are shrinking. Press operators topped one of those lists. You'll never guess which one.

Sorry optimists, it was the latter. The report noted that despite forecasts calling for the U.S. economy to add more than 7 million jobs over the next five years, "middle-income earners are most at risk for losing out in the economy, given that jobs paying middle-class wages are projected to grow by only 3% according to a new study from CareerBuilder."

At the top of the list of jobs on the decline is printing press operators.

"This occupation will shed about 15,000 jobs over the next five years, a decline of 9 percent," stated the article. "Printing press operators earn about $37,000 annually, according to the BLS."