Number of employees

The table provides information about the workforce in silk production, in two countries, England and Wales, over a period of 50 years, starting from 1851.

It is clear that the total number of silk workers in the two countries declined over the period, and that significantly more women were employed than men in this industry. Also, the number of silk manufacturing factories increased over the 50 year period, despite some fluctuations.

In 1851, the silk workforce was at its peak, with 130,750 employees, including 76,786 females and approximately 54,000 males. In contrast, the number of silk factories was at its lowest in 1851, at only 272. However, ten years later, the number of silk factories had almost tripled, reaching 761, while the total number of employees experienced a significant fall of over 20,000 people.

Over the following 40 years, the total number of female and male workers gradually decreased throughout the period, to 25,567 and 13,375 respectively, which resulted in a drop in the total number of employees, at 38,942 in 1901. Meanwhile, the number of silk factories experienced a gradual decline over these 40 years, from 761 in 1861 to 623 in 1901. (194 words)

vocabularly

• Fluctuation (n)
• At one’s peak
• Triple (v)