The line graph illustrates the number of jobs in four sections – manufacturing, retail, agriculture and healthcare – in the US between 1960 and 2020. Overall, employment in manufacturing and agriculture declined over the period, whereas retail and healthcare experienced sustained growth. Manufacturing remained the largest employer for most of the timespan despite ending the period behind both retail and healthcare, while agriculture consistently recorded the lowest figures and finished at a negligible level. Notably, healthcare witnessed by far the most substantial increase, rising from one of the smallest sectors to become one of the leading sources of employment by 2020.
Initially, Manufacturing section stood at 15 in 1960, before rising to 20 after 20 years. It then decreased and finished the period at 13. Meanwhile, Retail followed a similar pattern, steadily decreasing from 6 in 1960 to 2 by the end of period.
Turning to increased patterns, the figure for Healthcare was at about 2 before rising to 5 in 1980. It showed a sharp increase, reaching to 15 at the end of period. Similarly, Retail started with 6 in an initial year, which continuously rose, reaching the same level with that of healthcare in 2020.
