The table illustrates the percentage of the workforce employed in six industries—manufacturing, retail, healthcare, construction, education, and tourism—in Australia from 1989 to 2009.
Overall, the percentage of the workforce employed in almost all industries showed upward trends, while the figures for the manufacturing and retail industries declined throughout the given period. Despite manufacturing initially standing out with consistently higher percentages in terms of workforce, in the final year the healthcare industry overtook manufacturing. Notably, tourism exhibited relatively lower percentages of employed workforce across the period.
In 1989, the proportion of the workforce employed in healthcare accounted for 9.6%; it was followed by a dramatic increase to a staggering 11.3%, making it the highest employed workforce rate for the better part of the period. Similarly, starting at 7.6% and 6.8% in 1989, the percentage of the workforce employed in construction and education increased slightly by 2009, with corresponding figures of 8.3% and 7.5%. However, the figure for the tourism industry showed a slightly lower figure, albeit seeing an increase throughout the given period. In 1989, the percentage of employed workers in tourism made up 5.5%; in the following period, the figure increased considerably, reaching 7.3%, remaining the lowest figure.
In contrast, the manufacturing and retail sectors bucked the trend. In 1989, the proportion of the employed workforce in manufacturing was the highest, accounting for 15%, while the retail industry was the second highest in terms of workforce, with 11.8%. Nonetheless, by 2009, the figures for both industries saw a dramatic decline, falling to 9.8% and 10.1%, respectively.