Band 8+: Two pie charts show a comparison of the proportion of people with different degrees (first degree, master) and professions (Arts, science) who worked in an engineering company in 1980 and 2008.

The given pie charts compare the proportion of employees according to their academic qualifications and fields in the years 1980 and 2008.

Overall, the proportion of people with PhD in science increased noticeably, while the percentage of those holding first degree in arts and science dropped significantly. Another salient feature is that the share of staff with master’s degree in science remained unchanged.

In 1980, employees holding master’s degree in science accounted for the largest proportion at 29%, followed by those held first degree in arts at 25%. The figure for former remained stable in 2008, while that of latter showed a significant dip to 11%. Notably, the share of people who had PhD in science stood at 13 % in 1980, but the figure surged to a staggering 30%, overtaking other categories in 2008.

In contrast, the proportion of staff with first degree in both arts and science constituted 25% and 19%, respectively in 1980, before experiencing a precipitous decline with respective figures at 11% and 10% in 2008. As for the share of people who had masters and PhD in arts, the figure for both stood at 12% and 2%, respectively in 1980. However, the percentage of people with these qualifications soared marginally to 13% and 7% in the final period.