The line graph illustrates changes in the number of jobs in four different sectors of the economy in the US between 1960 and 2020.
Overall, it is clear that healthcare and retail showed an upward trend, while agriculture declined over the period. In addition, manufacturing remained the highest for most of the period, whereas agriculture recorded the lowest figure. The most noticeable change was the sharp rise in healthcare.
At the beginning of the period, the figure for healthcare stood at around 2 million in 1960. It then rose gradually to 5 million in 1980. Between 1980 and 2000, there was a sharp increase in healthcare employment, reaching 11 million. By the end of the period, it had climbed to 16 million. Similarly, retail started at 6 million in 1960, before increasing to 10 million in 1980. However, unlike healthcare, it experienced a more gradual change.
Regarding manufacturing, its figure was 15 million in 1960. It rose sharply to 20 million between 1960 and 1980, before falling to 13 million in 2020. Meanwhile, agriculture followed a different pattern, decreasing from 6 million to 2 million over the same period.
