The table depicts the changes in the number of employees and factories in England and Wales over a 50-year period from 1851 to 1901.
Overall, the total number of employees experienced a steady decline throughout the period, whereas the number of factories showed a fluctuating trend, reaching a peak in 1881 before falling slightly by 1901. Additionally, both male and female employment figures decreased significantly over the given period.
In 1851, there were 287,100 male employees and 190,000 female employees, alongside 225 factories. The number of male workers then began to fall steadily, declining to just 31,000 by 1901. Similarly, female employment dropped to 160,000 in 1861, losing 30,000 workers in just 10 years. This figure continued to decrease in the following decades, reaching just 30,000 by the end of the period.
As for factories, their number increased from 225 in 1851 to a peak of 721 in 1881. After that, the figure showed a downward trend, finishing at 600 in 1901.
