Percentage of the Australian workforce in five industries from 1962 to 2012

The line graph illustrates the shifts in the percentage of the Australian workforce across five distinct industries between 1962 and 2012. Overall, it is clear that the service industry became the dominant employer, while the manufacturing and agricultural sectors saw their shares of the workforce diminish over the fifty-year period.

In 1962, the service industry accounted for 52% of the workforce, a figure that climbed steadily to reach 78% by 2012. Conversely, manufacturing began at 25% in 1962, fluctuated slightly throughout the decades, and then plummeted to 10% by the end of the period. Agriculture followed a similar downward trajectory, starting at 11% and gradually decreasing to a low of 4% by 2012.

In contrast, the construction and mining sectors remained relatively stable. Construction maintained a consistent share of the workforce, hovering around 9% for most of the period before rising slightly to 10% in 2012. Mining represented the smallest proportion of the workforce throughout the entire timeframe, starting at 1% in 1962 and remaining stagnant at approximately 2% from 1970 onwards. By 2012, the service industry had become the primary employer, dwarfing the combined percentages of the other four sectors.