Structural Change in the Workforce (1950-1970) Under the conditions of the “economic miracle,” the Federal Republic witnessed a profound change in its occupational structure during the first two decades of its existence. Among the most important developments was the decline in the number of those working in agriculture by two-thirds, and the upswing in industry, trade, and the service sector, in particular. While the ratio of blue-collar workers was declining, the ratio of white-collar workers and civil servants within the working population was on the rise.
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page 1 of 1 Gainfully Employed Persons by Economic Sector and Occupational Status in the Federal Republic 1950–1970 (in percent) Economic sector Year Total number of gainfully employed persons  Distribution: Self-employed Participating family members Civil servants White-collar employees Workers Agriculture and forestry, animal husbandry and fishing    1950 23.2 38.4 85.8 0.8 0.9 9.7 1961 13.5 35.3 74.9 0.5 0.5 3.2 1970 7.5 25.8 60.9 0.4 0.6 2.2 Manufacturing and processing industry 1950 34.4 22.3 4.6 0.3 28.3 50.9 1961 40.5 17.1 6.7 0.2 33.0 61.4 1970 41.2 18.2 11.1 0.3 34.7 61.2 Construction industry 1950 7.9 6.4 0.6 – 3.1 12.6 1961 7.7 5.2 1.0 – 2.5 13.0 1970 7.7 6.5 2.4 – 3.2 12.9 Trade, banking, and insurance 1950 10.1 20.0 5.5 1.3 28.9 3.3 1961 13.6 23.7 9.8 1.0 30.7 4.4 1970 15.0 24.3 12.8 0.9 27.9 6.9 Transportation 1950 5.5 2.3 0.3 38.6 5.3 5.4 1961 5.6 2.3 0.5 37.6 4.1 5.1 1970 5.4 3.0 1.0 24.0 3.9 4.7 Services 1950 6.3 6.8 2.9 0.1 3.9 8.4 1961 11.2 16.4 7.1 21.1 16.9 7.3 1970 13.6 22.1 11.8 19.5 18.2 7.9 Other economic sectors 1950 12.6 3.7 0.3 58.9 29.6 9.7 1961 7.9 0.0 0.0 39.6 13.1 5.5 1970 9.5 0.1 0.0 55.0 11.5 4.3 All economic sectors together 1950 100 100 100 100 100 100 1961 100 100 100 100 100 100 1970 100 100 100 100 100 100   Source: Gerhard A. Ritter and Merith Niehuss, Wahlen in Deutschland, 1945-1990. Ein Handbuch [Elections in Germany, 1945-1990. A Workbook]. Munich: Beck, 1991, p. 53. Translation: Thomas Dunlap
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