The table illustrates the distribution among workers in four particular countries across three distinct fields in 1980 and 2010.
Overall, there was an increase in the percentage of workers in the industrial sector, as reported in Germany, the USA, and Japan; meanwhile, opposite changes were seen in the figures for those in agriculture and services. In addition, the majority of people in all countries except for China chose to work in industry in both years.
In 1980, the share of industrial workers in Germany started at exactly 60%, and the figures for the US and Japan were lower, at 52% and 49%, after which they experienced a significant increase to 81% , 70% and 80% in 2010, respectively. By contrast, the percentage of Chinese people in industry remained consistent at 40% in both years.
The proportion of agricultural workers in China and Japan were the leading sectors , at 70% and 12% in 1980, followed by the USA (8%) and Germany(6%), with subsequent decreases to around 50% , 8% , 6% and 1% in that order. Similarly, a downward trend can be witnessed in the figures for all countries in terms of service employees, with Germany, the USA, China, and Japan decreasing from 50%, 48%, 49%, and 39% in 1980 to about 41%, 38% , 23% and 29% in 2010, respectively