The two bar charts illustrate the proportion of the workforce employed in three economic sectors across four countries in 1980 and 2010.
Overall, industry became the largest sector in Germany, the USA and Japan by 2010, while agriculture remained dominant in China despite a marked decline. By contrast, agriculture dominated China’s workforce in 1980, although its share fell substantially by 2010 as industrial employment increased.
Regarding the industrial sector, it was the dominant employer in Germany, the USA, and Japan. In 1980, Germany had the highest percentage of industrial workers at 60%, followed by the USA at 50% and Japan at 40%. By 2010, these figures surged dramatically to reach 80%, 70%, and nearly 80% respectively. Meanwhile, China’s industrial workforce remained unchanged at 40% throughout the period.
Turning to services, this sector held a major share in Germany, the USA, and Japan in 1980, starting at roughly 38% to 50%. However, by 2010, the proportion of service workers experienced a noticeable decline across all four nations, dropping to between 20% and 40%.
In terms of agriculture, it accounted for under 10% of workers in Germany, the USA, and Japan in 1980, and these figures nearly halved by 2010. Conversely, China’s agricultural workforce reached a peak of around 70% at the beginning of the period, before dropping dramatically to under 50% by 2010.