The decline of travel agents
Summary
Travel-agent employment fell about 60% from its 2000 peak after airline commission cuts and online booking eroded the occupation. The largest losses arrived in recessionary bursts, while surviving agents moved toward high-value relational services and their weekly earnings rose from 87% to 99% of the economy-wide average by 2025.
Why it matters
The case study shows that technological displacement can be severe within an occupation yet delayed, cyclical, and accompanied by specialization and higher relative pay among the workers who remain.
What to keep in mind
Travel agents faced several overlapping shocks, including deregulation, commission changes, internet platforms, and recessions. One occupation cannot establish how broad cognitive automation will affect aggregate employment.