The bar charts divide the Canadian workforce into five categories based on the type of industry they work in for the years 1850 and 2020.
The overall trend shown in the data is a steep rise in the proportion of employees engaged in the service industry, coupled with a decline in manufacturing. The most salient feature is that in 2020 81% of the workforce were involved in providing services, which contrasts sharply with the figure of 33% in 1850. In contrast, we observe a huge drop in the manufacturing industry from over a third in the mid nineteenth century to just 9% by the early twenty-first century.
Furthermore, the 170-year period saw a marked fall in the agriculture and fishing sectors, leaving food production with a tiny 1% of Canadian workers. Similarly, workers in energy and water companies decreased by two thirds. On the other hand, the construction industry experienced significant growth from 5% to 8% over the period.
In general, the job profile of the Canadian workforce changed radically between 1850 and 2020, with the increases coming in the construction and service industry but all other areas seeing a decline.