The line graph illustrates the percentage of the workforce employed in five different industries over a 50-year period starting from 1962.
Overall, the services sector experienced a significant and steady increase in workforce share, becoming the dominant industry. In contrast, manufacturing and agriculture saw a consistent decline. Meanwhile, construction and mining remained relatively stable with only minor fluctuations throughout the period.
To begin with, the service and manufacturing sectors followed contrasting trends between 1962 and 2012. The service sector witnessed remarkable growth, climbing steadily from approximately 45% in 1962 to almost 80% by 2012. This consistent rise positioned it as the leading industry by the end of the period. On the other hand, the manufacturing sector experienced a sharp and continuous decline, dropping from just over 30% in 1962 to below 10% in 2012.
However, the proportion of workers in agriculture experienced a steady decline over the 50-year period, dropping from approximately 10% in 1962 to just 2% by 2012. This downward trend reflects a consistent movement away from farming-related employment. In contrast, the construction sector employed just under one-tenth of the workforce at the beginning of the period, and this figure remained relatively stable throughout the five decades. A comparable trend was evident in the mining industry, where the percentage of workers fluctuated slightly but stayed close to 2% across the years.