The bar charts detail the employment rates in Australia in 1984, 2001, and 2014, broken down by gender and three different age groups: 15-19, 35-44, and 60-64.
Overall, employment increased steadily among older Australians and middle-aged women, while the proportion of teenage male group followed an exact opposite trajectory. The remaining groups were relatively stable.
Turning to employment rates among men, despite little change in the rate of employees aged 35 to 44, this group maintained its top position at 80% across all years. Similarly, 60% of 15-19-year-olds were in work, compared to 40% of those from the oldest demographic segment (60-64) in 1984. These figures witnessed a period of stability till 2001. However, by 2014, the former had fallen by almost 9%, whereas the latter had jumped to just over 60%.
Regarding the female employment rate, around 60% of the 15-19 age cohort entered the job market, closely followed by the middle-aged group, at 59%. In contrast, the figure for the senior category (60-64) was one-sixth that of the other two. Nevertheless, not until 2014 did the rate experience the most dramatic increase, reaching a high of 40%. Similarly, as for the 35-44 age group, it was the only category that not only reached a peak of a staggering 80%, but it also surpassed the youngest age group and eventually took the lead at the end of the period.