Employment sector distribution across three distinct age groups

The table illustrates the distribution of employees across ten different sectors, categorised by three age groups: 18-25, 25-40, and 40-65. Overall, it is evident that employment preferences shift significantly as individuals age, with retail being the most popular choice for the youngest cohort, while manufacturing dominates the oldest group.

For the 18-25 age group, retail is the most significant sector, accounting for 23% of employment, followed closely by the 'other' category at 21%. In contrast, these sectors become less prominent for older workers. Specifically, retail employment drops to 7% for the 25-40 group and further to 6% for those aged 40-65. Similarly, the 'other' category declines steadily from 21% to 9% across the age brackets.

Conversely, sectors such as manufacturing and local government show an upward trend with age. Manufacturing accounts for only 12% of the youngest group but rises to 23% for the 40-65 age group. Likewise, local government employment increases from 8% in the youngest bracket to 18% in the oldest. Meanwhile, law and accountancy remain relatively stable across all ages, with law consistently at 4% and accountancy fluctuating only slightly between 2% and 3%.