• Best Jobs for the Future 2015

The U.S. job market is steadily improving, yet many Americans are still struggling to get hired. And if they work in dying professions, that may be the case not only today but also in the years ahead. The challenge will be particularly big for job seekers with limited education. Employment opportunities will be fewer for those who lack coveted degrees and training, and the pay will be lower.

We analyzed 784 popular occupations, looking at which jobs have been adding to their ranks over the past decade and which are projected to continue the trend into the next decade. We also looked at recent hiring demand for each occupation. We favored bigger salaries, of course, but also promising careers that require lower levels of education to get started. After all, a good-paying job that doesn't require a college degree saves on student loans and earns you a paycheck faster.

Despite that advantage, jobs calling for just a high school education or less littered the bottom of our rankings. (By contrast, all of our picks for the best jobs for the future require at least an associate's degree to get started.) "It's bad news for people who only have a high school degree," says Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. He notes that the U.S. economy has moved from being production-based to service-based, with a rising need for professionals in finance, information systems, education and health care--"all of which require high-skill, higher-educated workers," he says.

Take a look at our picks for the 10 worst jobs for the future.

Floral Designer

Total number of jobs: 58,440

Job growth, 2004-2014: -24.7% (All jobs: 5.2%)

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -10.5% (All jobs: 11.1%)

Median annual salary: $23,088 (All jobs: $41,683)

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

For floral designers, the bloom has fallen off the rose. After a surge of new flower-shop openings in the 1980s and '90s, their numbers have fallen dramatically. Blame budget-conscious consumers, who are opting to buy loose, fresh-cut flowers from grocery stores instead of elaborate bouquets and arrangements from florists. Plus, the rise of the Internet has allowed some florists to operate more efficiently and reduce the number of brick-and-mortar shops. If your heart is set on a floral-focused future, apply for a position at a grocery store, where hiring demand will be stronger.

Alternate Career

Focus your eye for arrangement on furniture instead of flowers. Positions for interior designers are expected to grow 6.8% by 2024. To take this path, you'll need additional education--usually a bachelor's degree--and possibly a license or certification, depending on your state and specialty. But you may also expect to earn more; interior designers have a median pay of more than $44,000 a year. If further education isn't in the cards for you, consider being a merchandise displayer. These positions are projected to increase by 12.7% this decade, typically earn about $27,000 a year and require just a high school education.

Door-to-Door Sales Worker

Total number of jobs: 86,979

Job growth, 2004-2014: -23.1%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -18.8%

Median annual salary: $19,968

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Better dramatized by sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick than Arthur Miller, the death of the traveling salesman can be chalked up to advancing technology. When businesses are able to contact millions of customers online with the press of a button, going door to door has become an enormously inefficient way to push products. And the people once charged with doing so are being replaced by solicitations broadcast via Web sites, e-mail and social media outlets.

Alternate Career

Your sales skills are better applied in less-nomadic positions. Insurance sales agents have added 26.6% more positions to their ranks over the past 10 years, and they are expected to add another 73,000 positions by 2024. The median pay is about $47,600 a year, and the entry-level education requirement is just a high school diploma, though you will also need to get a license to sell insurance in the state where you work. If you have a bachelor's degree, becoming a manufacturing sales representative, who sells goods to businesses, government agencies and other organizations, holds even more promise. This job's numbers are expected to grow by 13.1% over the next decade, and the median salary is more than $74,000 a year.

Woodworking Machine Operator

Total number of jobs: 70,207

Job growth, 2004-2014: -32.3%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 3.0%

Median annual salary: $27,331

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Woodworking machine operators man drill presses, sanders, planers and the like. But as advancing technology has streamlined the production process, fewer people have been needed to do this type of work. "The old job, where you punch in every day and do the same thing for eight hours and then you go home and forget about it, that's kind of gone," says Carnevale. "Now there's a new requirement to be able to use knowledge effectively, to solve problems and think critically about what you're doing."

If you are determined to stick with wood, the good news is that some lost positions are expected to slowly return over this decade. However, the jobs are likely to require more skill and training. Completion of woodworking courses or certification may help you compete. Classes in wood technology, furniture manufacturing and production management, for example, are offered at some technical schools, community colleges and universities. Check with the Architectural Woodwork Institute or the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America for more about professional certifications.

Alternate Career

Apply your machine-operating skills to producing precision metal parts and work as a machinist. These workers use machine tools such as lathes, milling machines and grinders to make items ranging from simple bolts to titanium bone screws for orthopedic implants. Demand for machinists is expected to grow by 11.8% this decade. They typically make nearly $40,000 a year.

Cabinetmaker

Total number of jobs: 100,745

Job growth, 2004-2014: -29.4%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -3.6%

Median annual salary: $30,846

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters suffer from the same job-loss pains as woodworking machine operators. Most of these jobs have been lost over the past decade due to advancing technology; fewer people have been needed to operate the machines that pump out the same products. The field is also very sensitive to economic cycles and is likely to rise and fall with the housing market.

Alternate Career

Custom designs require more care, and specializing in them should be the key to any remaining opportunities. Alternatively, consider taking the opposite approach and broaden your skill set to pursue a career as a carpenter. With this job, you'd still likely install cabinets and work with wood, but you'd also construct and repair other building frameworks and structures with a variety of materials. Carpenters have also experienced job losses over the past decade, which included the housing bust. In the coming decade, however, demand for carpenters is forecast to increase by 8.2%. Median pay is nearly $36,000 a year.

Metal and Plastic Molding Machine Operator

Total number of jobs: 127,292

Job growth, 2004-2014: -19.2%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -5.8%

Median annual salary: $28,454

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Although metal and plastic are durable materials, the U.S. labor market for people who work with them is not quite as sturdy. Many of the old metal- and plastic-production jobs are now being done more efficiently by machines or more affordably abroad. Even robots are getting into the act. Lower-skill positions that involve manually setting and operating machines--including molding, core-making and casting machines--are becoming increasingly scarce.

Alternate Career

While less-skilled manufacturing jobs are declining, more high-tech positions within the industry are on the rise. "The type of workforce that manufacturing needs is changing," says Joshua Wright, of Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), a labor-market research firm. "Higher-skilled workers are needed for higher-wage jobs." Indeed, operators of computer-controlled metal and plastic machines have increased their numbers by 4.4% over the past decade, and by 2024 there will be 16.4% more jobs. Median salary is also better, at about $35,900 a year. To get one of these jobs, you usually need related work experience, vocational-school training or an associate's degree. Search www.careeronestop.org for more on training programs.

Travel Agent

Total number of jobs: 74,282

Job growth, 2004-2014: -22.6%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -11.6%

Median annual salary: $33,717

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

Travel agents are being bumped from their career plans. They may still find work helping travelers seeking specialty trips, such as adventure tours or cruises. Otherwise, the Internet and a slew of sites focused on helping people book travel plans themselves are quickly making this job obsolete.

Alternate Career

Your penchant for planning would be better applied to meetings, conventions and events. Event planners have seen 36.7% more new jobs added over the past decade, and their numbers are expected to keep growing by 30.3% over the next decade. Plus, the median salary is more than $46,500 a year. You'll need more training and education to get started with this gig, though. A bachelor's degree in hospitality or tourism management is desirable. Marketing, public relations, communications and business degrees are also common in the field, but they might need to be paired with one or two years of related experience.

Courier

Total number of jobs: 106,933

Job growth, 2004-2014: -5.2%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -3.0%

Median annual salary: $27,019

Typical education: High school diploma or equivalent

The bike messenger could be going the way of the Pony Express. The ability to share documents and other files via e-mail and the cloud is putting a big dent in the courier business. For similar reasons, plus the development of more-efficient sorting and delivery systems, U.S. postal carriers are expected to shed 18.0% of their positions by 2024.

Alternate Career

If you don't mind trading two wheels for four, you can perform a similar function as a delivery-truck driver. The job requires just a high school diploma or the equivalent, and about 63,000 new jobs are expected by 2024, a growth rate of 7.3%. But the median salary is less than $30,000 a year. Staying in the delivery business as a cargo or freight agent offers better prospects, with projected job growth of 15.0% and a median salary of about $40,250 a year.

Sewing Machine Operator

Total number of jobs: 155,257

Job growth, 2004-2014: -36.8%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -17.2%

Median annual salary: $22,006

Typical education: Less than high school

Clothing-, textile- and furniture-production workers are experiencing hard times. They've lost jobs at the fastest rates over the past decade, and the spiraling trend will continue over the next 10 years. Along with sewing-machine operators, people who operate shoe, knitting and weaving, and fabric-cutting and dyeing machines are also expected to see their job market rapidly shrink at rates between -17% and -30.5%. Some of these workers' functions are becoming more automated. And many companies try to cut costs by sending these jobs overseas.

Alternate Career

Custom sewers and tailors are expected to hold their current numbers steady for the next decade. And, on the plus side, their median salary is a bit better, at more than $24,000 a year. Although they're still vulnerable to losing jobs to overseas workers, people who make bespoke products and provide custom fits should maintain a reasonable client base among upscale shops and higher earners. Becoming an upholsterer may be a better option. New jobs are expected to increase by 1.3% this decade, and the median salary is nearly $30,000 a year.

Drywall Installer

Total number of jobs: 116,210

Job growth, 2004-2014: -33.6%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: -2.9%

Median annual salary: $35,173

Typical education: Less than high school

Recent history hasn't been kind to drywall installers. Over the past decade, many housing-related careers took a tumble along with the real estate market. As the economy perks up and as more people invest in new construction (as well as repairing existing homes), some of these jobs may return. But, says EMSI's Wright, "housing is a volatile sector that depends on interest rates and Federal regulations," as well as other factors. Future growth may prove better than current predictions, but those working in this industry must prepare for the hard times, too.

Alternate Career

Brick masons are poised for better times. Despite also having suffered great losses (34.6%) over the past 10 years, many of those jobs are expected to be recovered this decade as their numbers grow by 14.8%. No experience is required to get started, but brick masons often begin with a paid apprenticeship that lasts three to four years. (Find out more about apprenticeships through the Department of Labor.)

Tile Setter

Total number of jobs: 61,440

Job growth, 2004-2014: -20.4%

Projected job growth, 2014-2024: 2.0%

Median annual salary: $34,362

Typical education: Less than high school

More victims of the volatile housing market, tile setters were squeezed over the past decade. On the bright side, some of the jobs will be restored in the coming years, albeit at a slow pace. Tile has proven popular in recent construction, but the growing use of vinyl and rubber flooring, which can be installed by carpenters, may be a threat to tile setters.

Alternate Career

As long as you can brave heights, you can lend your talents to a more eco-friendly endeavor as a solar photovoltaic installer. These workers assemble, install and maintain solar panels on roofs or other structures. And as the green movement barrels forward, solar photovoltaic installers should stay in high demand, adding 24.5% more jobs over the next decade. That growth may stall, however, depending on whether state and local governments continue to offer incentives for using solar panels. Median salary is more than $39,000 a year.

2014 Worst Jobs Rankings

Floral Designer
Ticket Agent
Courier
Office Machine Operator
Reporter
Data Entry Clerk
Electronic Equipment Assembler
Switchboard Operator
Food Batchmaker
Metal and Plastic Grinding Tool Operator

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Stacy Rapacon is an editor at Kiplinger.