Photographic processing, movie projectors, and extraction and construction workers shed the most jobs in the decade spanning 2012 to 2021, according to a Commercial Cafe analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Jobs for photographic process workers and processing machine operators dropped nearly 88%: in 2012, BLS data showed that nearly 46,000 jobs were filled in the occupation, but, by 2021, that number hit around 5,700.

"While it's easy (and somewhat reasonable) to point the finger at automation, the drop in job numbers for this profession could be the result of a combination of multiple converging trends," writes Commercial Cafe's Ioana Ginsac. "For example, contributing causes might include: an increase in consumer preference for the digital imaging medium, rather than physical prints; fine-tuned, camera-equipped mobile devices that are now more readily accessible; and increased accessibility of complex image processing possibilities for non-professionals."