The line graph shows the number of jobs in four sectors of the US economy, namely manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare, between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, manufacturing had the highest number of jobs in 1960 and 1980, but its figure decreased after 1980. In contrast, the number of jobs in retail and healthcare increased significantly. Agriculture was the only sector which experienced an overall decline.
In 1960, manufacturing provided about 15 million jobs, while retail had approximately 6 million. The figures for agriculture and healthcare were lower, at around 6 million and 2 million respectively. By 1980, manufacturing had risen to a peak of 20 million jobs. Retail also increased to 10 million, while healthcare reached 5 million. However, agriculture fell to about 3 million.
From 1980 to 2020, the number of manufacturing jobs decreased steadily, falling from 20 million to around 13 million. On the other hand, retail continued to grow and reached approximately 16 million jobs in 2020. Healthcare also saw a strong increase, rising from 5 million in 1980 to about 16 million in 2020. Finally, agriculture remained stable at around 3 million between 1980 and 2000 before falling slightly to 2 million in 2020.
