The chart illustrates the proportion of the Australian worker in five different industries from 1960 to 2012. Overall, the figure for services witnessed an upward trend from 1962 to 2012. Conversely, that of manufacturing fell significantly within the same time span. Meanwhile, the percentage of people working in Australia remained steady.
In 1962, the proportion of workers for services in Australia was about 52%, and this figure rose dramatically in the next 50 years, reaching roughly 80% in 2012. In contrast, that of both manufacturing and agriculture experienced downward trend, with the number dropping from 25% and 10% to 10% and 5% respectively within the same time span.
The shifts of Australian workforce in manufacturing differ with that of mining and construction. At the beginning of the process, the figure for mining was negligible. Over the next 50 years, this number still remained steady. The similar case could be seen from the percentage of people working for construction in Australia, which remained unchanged, about 10%.
