The bar charts compare four different nations in terms of the proportion of employed men and women aged from 60 to 64 years old in 1970 and in 2000.
Overall, there was a decrease in the percentage of men aged 60–64 having jobs in all four countries examined, with the most dramatic decline being seen in the figures for Belgium. By contrast, a portion of women witnessed negligible changes in all countries over the period given.
In 1970, the proportion of men aged 60–64 undertaking a job in Japan was the highest figure, accounting for 79% of the total Japanese labour force, after which it saw a significant fall to just 19% in the year 2000. Similar changes, but to lesser extents, can be seen in the figures for the USA, Japan, and Australia, which also dropped considerably, ending at 55%, 74%, and 47%, respectively.
8% of employed Belgium citizens were women aged ranging from 60 to 64 in 1970, with a subsequent fall to 7% in the next 30 years. Similarly, the figures for Japan also decreased negligibly, from 43% to 40% in 2000. By contrast, the proportion of women aged 60–64 assuming a job in the USA in 1970 was 36%, followed by a small rise to 39% 30 years later. The figures for Australia saw a similar trend, growing from 16% to 18% at the end of the period.