The table presents data comparing number of UK residents working in four sectors – hotel and catering, building, technology, and education – in the years 1998 and 2006; the figures are further broken-down by age groups: 18 – 25, 26 – 25, 36 – 45, 46 – 55, and 56 – 65 years.
Overall, education was the highest worked sector in 1998, whereas in 2006 technology was at the top; the hospitality sector has the least amount of people working in it for both years.
In 1998, about 90,000 people were working in the technical sector, majority (63,889) of which were from the age group 26 – 35 years and with only 800 from the group 56 – 65 years, but by 2006 it employed the most, nearly 50% of all people in the UK were working in this sector. Especially people aged between 26 and 35, 454,375 people, which is nearly 4 times more than education, the second most picked career from the same demographic. On the other hand, all age groups in the building sector saw a drop in the number of workers in 2006. In 1998, building was the most picked job by the young adults (18 – 25), amounting 112,565 when other sectors had about 25.7K (hotel), 5.5K (tech), and 6.3K (education); however by 2006, it was technology sector that attracted them, with 187,600 picking technology and 86,430 picking building followed by for hospitality and education.
Both education and hotel & catering sectors saw minimal change in people working on it. Education was the the most picked sector by people aged 26 and above in 1998, and is still the sector employing the most people aged 46 and above, about 40% of of the group. While in education sector experienced a slight drop in number of people working in it in 2006 compared 1998, the hospitality field saw an overall increase in the figure.