E C O N O M I C R E P O R T O F T H E P R E S I D E N T

Formal education was a far less important job qualification for most workersat the turn of the last century than it is now. Over 40 percent of the work forcewas in agriculture, and another 28 percent was in manufacturing. Services,broadly defined, accounted for the remaining 31 percent (Chart 4-1). In keepingwith this industry mix, a large proportion (38 percent) of workers wereoccupied in farming, forestry, or fishing. Another 25 percent were operators orlaborers. Managers and professionals represented just 10 percent of the workforce, and sales and administrative support occupations just 8 percent.Over the course of the 20th century, the share of total employment in agriculturedeclined steadily. Until the early 1970s, manufacturing employmentgrew roughly in line with growth in the labor force, and manufacturing’sshare of total employment remained roughly constant. Since then, however,employment in services has accelerated, and the share of employment inmanufacturing has declined. The occupational mix has changed accordingly.By 1999, 30 percent of workers were employed as managers and professionals,and 26 percent worked in technical, sales, and administrative supportoccupations. Operators, fabricators, and laborers made up just 14 percent ofthe work force, and farming, forestry, and fishing occupations represented ascant 3 percent.Most recently, the change in the industrial and occupational mix of theeconomy has been associated with a technological revolution. That revolutionhas been a rich source of new jobs, but many of those jobs require familiaritywith the latest technological advances. In 1996, for example, the share130 | Economic Report of the President