The table illustrates the percentage of working men and women employed in four different sectors – catering, banking, manufacturing, and education – in one country in the years 1986, 1996, and 2006.
Overall, men were predominantly employed in the manufacturing industry at the beginning of the period, while women were mainly employed in education. Over time, employment in manufacturing decreased for both genders, whereas banking and education generally experienced growth.
In 1986, the largest proportion of men worked in manufacturing (32%), followed by catering (16%), education (13%), and banking (11%). However, the percentage of men in manufacturing declined significantly to 21% in 1996 and further to 17% in 2006. In contrast, male employment in banking rose steadily from 11% in 1986 to 20% in 1996 and 21% in 2006. Catering also increased from 16% to 22% and then remained stable, while education showed a slight rise from 13% to 15% over the period.
For women, education consistently accounted for the highest share, rising from 33% in 1986 to 35% in 1996 and 38% in 2006. Catering remained unchanged at 26% throughout the three years. Meanwhile, banking employment for women increased gradually from 12% to 19%. Conversely, the proportion of women working in manufacturing declined sharply from 18% in 1986 to only 6% in 2006.
To conclude , employment trends shifted away from manufacturing towards service sectors such as banking and education, particularly for women.