The job in NJ that people wish would come back
According to a new survey from resume.io, New Jerseyans were asked which vanished jobs they miss the most, and the answer feels very on brand for us.
Out of 3,014 people polled, mostly over 45, the job Jersey misses more than any other is the paperboy.
And honestly, that makes perfect sense.
New Jersey’s most-missed vanished job: the paperboy
Every year, the U.S. Labor Department updates a list of jobs that no longer even exist in meaningful numbers.
We’re talking about professions that have basically disappeared, pushed out by technology, convenience, or automation.
Resume.io wanted to know which of those jobs people actually miss, not because they were efficient, but because they were human.
In New Jersey, the paperboy came out on top.
Rain, snow, heat wave, broken bike chain, that kid still showed up, tossing rolled-up newspapers onto porches before most of us were even awake.
It was responsibility, independence, and forearm strength all wrapped into one early-morning hustle. For a lot of kids, it was their first real job.
Some of you reading may not even know what I’m talking about, and the rest of the list feels like a time capsule, too.
From video rental clerks to gas station attendants
People here also miss the video rental clerk, the one who somehow knew exactly what movie you needed even when you didn’t. Door-to-door encyclopedia salespeople made the list too, which feels wild now but once represented the dream of having a “smart” house before the internet existed.
Gas station attendants ranked high, which will surprise no one who remembers when someone else pumped your gas, cleaned your windshield, and maybe asked how your day was going.
Toll booth collectors made it as well. Before E-ZPass, there was a person there, not just a sensor.
The lost jobs that made life feel more personal
Record store clerks, Film developers, Typists, Switchboard operators, those are jobs that came with sounds, smells, personalities, and small moments of connection.
None of these were glamorous, but they made everyday life feel less automated and a little more personal.
And maybe that’s the real takeaway. We don’t just miss the jobs, we miss the people who came with them.
20 Photos That Perfectly Capture Small-Town Life in the 1970s
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.
