# What jobs have been eliminated due to automation. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 13, 2019, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588 "2019-08-13T02:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/81 "2019-09-11T23:57:07Z")
> [@xnylder](#): > > SROs, or single room occupancy buildings aka boarding houses have been made illegal in many North American cities. Ostensibly it was for safety concerns: boarding houses facilitated the spread of disease and many were firetraps. However, it’s not hard to imagine that real estate developers prefer to use that land for profitable condos instead, and that city residents who can vote (that is, people who aren’t homeless) might support legislation to get rid of their transient neighbors. I realize I should be a little more precise about what I wrote here: Some city administrations are actively trying to restore or retain SRO units (basically, boarding houses) because they realize they are needed by the homeless population. However, the reason the number of units dropped in the first place is usually a combination of stricter regulations and profit motives. Edited to add: Or, what **[Tim@T-Bonham.net](mailto:Tim@T-Bonham.net)** said. ---
**Author:** ![kirkrapine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@kirkrapine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kirkrapine)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/82 "2019-09-12T01:54:22Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > A lot of cities _legislated_ them out of existence. Because they didn’t like the class of people who lived in them (mainly working class laborers minor clerks, etc. – often equated with winos or beer hounds) . . . And vaudeville performers. I recall a scene from [_Yankee Doodle Dandy_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Doodle_Dandy) – the Four Cohans are staying at a boarding house with a sign that says “Special Rates for Those in the Theatrical Profession.” Vaudeville was pretty much killed off by radio and film, but I’m not sure that counts as “automation” within the meaning of the OP. Perhaps it is an instance of “technological unemployment” more broadly defined. ---
**Author:** ![steepone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@steepone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steepone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/83 "2019-09-12T04:41:45Z")
> [@campp](#): > > The railroads have dropped employment in all sectors. 70 years ago, the move from steam to diesel took a lot of labor out. Modern brakes have reduced the need for other men to ride along as brakemen. Today they are even using remote controlled switchers in yard situations. > > Will the future bring crew-less trains? Probably. Eventually. Right now it’s an order of magnitude more difficult than the current driver-less big rigs on the highway. We’ll see. That’s already happening, in Australia Rio Tinto have crew-less iron ore trains operating in the Pilbara > **[Rio celebrates first driverless train journey](https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/rio-celebrates-first-driverless-train-journey-ng-b88895647z)** > > Mining giant transports 28,000t of iron ore 280km from Tom Price to Cape Lambert ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/84 "2019-09-12T18:03:19Z")
Newpaper boys/girls seem to have disappeared. You can’t get a paper delivered early every morning like you could 20 years ago. (in the UK) That’s presumably due to lack of demand as not many people buy physical newspapers now they can get the news off t’net. I don’t know if that counts as automation… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/85 "2019-09-13T04:52:28Z")
> [@Bert\_Nobbins](#): > > Newpaper boys/girls seem to have disappeared. You can’t get a paper delivered early every morning like you could 20 years ago. (in the UK) > > That’s presumably due to lack of demand as not many people buy physical newspapers now they can get the news off t’net. I don’t know if that counts as automation… Boys and girls yes, but there are guys who drive around and deliver papers early. My NY Times comes by 6 am. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2019, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588/86 "2019-09-13T22:59:06Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > No fully automated ships I know of. There are [automated ferries](https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/rolls-royce-and-wartsila-in-close-race-with-autonomous-ferries%5B/url) in Norway. The Captain’s only function is to push the button to say “go to the next port”. Although I’m sure they have other crew to make sure all the cars are positioned right, etc. > [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Garbage men. Our town just switched over from miscellaneous cans to those wheeled bins. You just switched over to that? We’ve had that for about 20 years now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-jobs-have-been-eliminated-due-to-automation/838588.md?page=4)