A. Critic
A critic of the following data visualization is provided.
Clarity
- C1. Trends in the first four sentences of the statement are not immediately apparent in the visualization. In particular, the age groups aged 55 and above and aged 25 to 54 in the statement have not been grouped in the visualization.
- C2. The years in between 2009 and 2019 are missed out; only 2009 and 2019 are shown. A comparison of two years can be one-sided. The years in between must be shown to reflect trend and add meaning.
- C3. Y-axis is missing from the visualization.
- C4. No lead in or callouts to provide context.
- C5. Title and statement of visualization are misleading; Per Cent is inaccurate.
- C6. LFPR is used in the statement, without stating what LFPR stands for.
- C7. LFPR trends are not shown in the chart despite being mentioned in the statement.
- C8. Chart Title Resident labour force by age is not accurate; instead, “Resident labour force by age group” is more accurate.
Aesthetics
- A1. Poor color choice of gray and blue used; the shaded tables are difficult to read.
- A2. X-axis labels are cramped.
- A3. Poor positioning of Source and Note, with less than one line space between them and no spacing below Note.
- A4. Per Cent, which is placed below the chart title, is positioned too far away from the line graph and will likely be overlooked by the reader.
B. Alternative Graphical Representation - Sketch
With reference to A. Critic, an alternative representation is sketched below.
Two charts, with chart title, are added. (C5, C8)
Chart 1: Labour force participation rate (%)
Chart 2: Distribution of labour force
In both charts, data points range every year from 2009 to 2019 (instead of showing only 2009 and 2019) to reflect trend. (C4)
Data is grouped into three and four age groups in Chart 1 and Chart 2 respectively. The grouping allows for more meaningful data visualization and trend observations. (C1)
Chart 1 is a line chart that shows the labour force participation rate (LFPR) by age group by year. This will reflect the trends in LFPR, in particular the sustained increase in LFPR for the cohorts aged 55 and above. (C1, C7)
65 and above years
55 - 64 years
25 - 54 years
15 - 24 years
Chart 2 is an area chart that shows three age groups and their proportion of the labour force each year. This chart serves to reflect the increase in proportion of residents aged 55 and over in the labour force over the years. (C1)
55+ years
25 - 54 years
15 - 24 years
In Chart 2, the values for proportion of labour force of each age group, in 2009 and 2019, are labelled to emphasis the corresponding trend described in the statement. (C1,C4)
Each line and area is clearly labelled with the age group. (C1, C2)
Colour palette, Tableau 10, is chosen to differentiate the age groups clearly; instead of grey-blue colour for 2009 and 2019 respectively. Colours across the charts are consistent i.e. same age group, same color, to reduce miscommunication. (A1)
Y-axes with minimum 0% and maximum 100% are shown on both charts. (C3, A4)
X-axis labels and x-axis title are comfortably spaced i.e. not cramped on both charts. (A2)
Source is positioned two line spaces below the x-axes; Source is also aligned left and in different front from x-axis labels (for differentiation). (A3)
Labour force participating rate is stated in the statement to reflect what LFPR stands for. (C6)
Median working age in 2019 and 2009 are shown as an annotation on Chart 2. (C1)
Callouts are added in the line chart, indicating the increase in labour force participation rates of age groups 55 - 64 years and 65 & over years, from 2009 to 2019. (C4)
Blank spaces are purposefully added in the visualization e.g. between the two charts, to increase neatness overall. (A2)
C. Proposed Data Visualization - Tableau
D. Step-by-Step Guide for Creating the Visualization
D.1 Preparing the data in excel
First, we download the following two tables from Table: Labour Force 2019.
Table (5): Resident Labour Force Participation Rate by Age and Sex, 2009 - 2019 (June)
Table (7): Resident Labour Force Aged Fifteen Years and Over by Age and Sex, 2009 – 2019 (June)
From the data in Table 5, copy and paste the labour force participation rates of the following age groups, from years 2009 to 2019, onto another excel file. You should have three columns with 44 observations. Save file as data_LFPR.xlsx to use as your data source for Tableau.
Age Groups
15 - 24
25 - 54
55 - 64
65 & Over
Data Columns
Column A: Year
Column B: Age Group
Column C: Labour Force Participation Rate
From the data in Table 7, we need to calculate proportion of resident labour force of each age group, by year, in percent.
Proportion = number of residents in each age group each year divided by the total number of residents in the same year
Do the same for every year and every age group. Copy and paste the values calculated onto another excel file. You should have the following three columns with 133 observations. Save file as data_labour_force.xlsx to use as your data source for Tableau
Data Columns
Column A: Year
Column B: Age (Years)
Column C: Percentage (i.e. the proportion of resident labour force of each age group in each year)
D.2 Creating the line chart on Tableau
Load Tableau and click on Microsoft Excel from the taskbar on the left. Select the file: data_lfpr.xlsx that you have created previously. Click Open.
Click on Abc of Year. From the dropdown, select Date. Then, go to Sheet 1.
From the Data pane, drag Year to Columns, drag Labour Force Participation Rate to Rows, and drag Age Group to Color (in the Marks pane).
To show all markers for each line, click on color in the Marks pane and set Markers to all i.e. the icon showing a line with markers.
From Columns, click on the dropdown arrow from YEAR(Year)and select Year as shown in the screenshot below.
Double click on the chart title and change it to Labour force participation rate. Set font to Tableau Book, 12, bold.
Double click on the x-axis and change Title from Year of Year to Year. Go to Tick Marks. Set Major Tick Marks to Fixed, Interval = 1, Unit = Years.
Double click on the y-axis and remove the Title. Set Range to Fixed start = 0, Fixed end = 100.
Right click the y-axis and select Format. On the left pane, go to Scale > Numbers and select Number(Custom). Set decimal places to 0 and suffix to %.
To label each line with the age group, drag Age Group from the Data pane to Label in the Marks pane. In the Marks pane, click on Label and update the following attributes. Note that there are two spaces between <Age Group> and years.
Text: <Age Group> years
Font: Tableau Bold, 10pt, Match Mark Color
From the legend, click the drop-down arrow and go to EditColors. Set the colors of each age group according to the screenshot below. The color for 65 & Over is a darker shade from the color for 55 - 64. Click OK.
From the legend, click the drop-down arrow and select HideCard.
On the line chart, right click on the data point: 55 - 64 years, 2019. Select Annotate > Mark. In the Edit Annotation dialog box, type +9 ppt from year 2000. Change font to Tableau Book, 8 and bold only +9 ppt.
On the line chart, right click on the data point: 65 & Over years, 2019. Select Annotate > Mark. In the Edit Annotation dialog box, type +12 ppt from year 2000. Change font to Tableau Book, 8 and bold only +12 ppt.
Rename the sheet from Sheet1 to LFPR.
The line chart: Labour Force Participation Rate is ready.
D.3 Creating the stacked area chart on Tableau
Create a new Worksheet in the same Tableau file. Using the top menu bar, select Data > New Data Source. Connect to data_labour_force.xlsx.
Click on Abc of Year. From the dropdown, select Date.
Go to Sheet 2 from the tabs at the bottom of your window. In the Data pane, right-click Age (Years) and select Create > Group.
In the Create Group dialog box, select the age groups 55 and above, then click Group. Rename the group to 55+ years. Do the same for the other two groups - 25-54 years and Below 25 years.
Group naming must be consistent with the line chart in D.2 Creating the line chart on Tableau.
From the Data pane, drag Year to Columns, drag Percentage to Rows, and drag Age (Years) (group) to Color (in the Marks pane).
From Columns, click on the dropdown arrow from YEAR(Year)and select Year as shown in the screenshot below.
From the Show Me pane on the right, select Area chart (continuous).
Double click on the chart title and change it to Distribution of labour force. Set font to Tableau Book, 12, bold.
Double click on the x-axis and change Title to Year. Go to Tick Marks. Set Major Tick Marks to Fixed, Interval = 1, Unit = Years.
Right click the y-axis and select Format. On the left pane, go to Scale > Numbers and select Percentage. Set decimal places to 0.
Double click on the y-axis and remove the Title. Set Range to Fixed start = 0, Fixed end = 1. Go to Tick Marks, select Major Tick Marks as Fixed, and set Tick origin = 0, Tick interval = 1.
To label each line with the age group, drag Age (Years) (group) from the Data pane to Label in the Marks pane. In the Marks pane, click on Label and update the following attributes.
Text: <Age Group> years
Font: Tableau Bold, 10pt, Match Mark Color
In the Marks pane, click on the drop down error for Color: Age (Years) (group). Go to Sort. Select Sort by = Data Source order and Sort Order = Descending.
From the legend, click the drop-down arrow and go to EditColors. Set the colors of each age group according to the screenshot below. Click OK.
The color chosen for each age group must be consistent with the line chart in D.2 Creating the line chart on Tableau.
On the area chart, right click on the data point: 55+ years, 2009, 16%. Select Annotate > Mark. In the Edit Annotation dialog box, type <SUM(Percentage)>. Change font size to 8.
An annotation showing 16% will appear on the area chart. Resize the annotation area to its smallest width by dragging the green box. On the Format Annotation pane (left), set Shading = None, Line = None.
Create the same annotation for 2009 and 2019 data points. There should be six annotations in total - two each for 3 age groups. Drag each annotation in place, as shown in the screenshot below.
Right click on the blue area and go to Annotate > Area.
First line: Tableau Book, 8, Bold, Color = same as chart title
Median Age in 2019
Second line: Tableau Book, 10, Bold, Color = same as 25 - 54 years
44 years
Third line: Tableau Book, 8, Italicize, Color = same as chart title
(41 years in 2009)
From the legend, click the drop-down arrow and select HideCard.
Rename the sheet from Sheet2 to Labour Force.
The area chart: Distribution of labour force is ready.
D.3 Creating the dashboard on Tableau
Create a NewDashboard in the same Tableau file.
From the Dashboard pane, drag LFPR to the canvas. Then, drag Labour Force to the right half of the canvas.
From the Objects pane, drag and drop text box to the top of the canvas (above both charts). A box spanning the entire width of the canvas must appear before you release your cursor.
An Edit Text dialog box appears. Place your title and description in the box. Update their fonts accordingly.
Title: Tableau Light, 16, bold
Share of older residents in the labour force rose in 2019
Description: Tableau Light, 10, not bold
The labour force participation rate (LFPR) of residents has increased since 2009. The increase in LFPR was steepest for those aged 65 and above; from 2009 to 2019, their LFPR increased by 12 percentage points. The LFPR of residents aged 55 - 64 years also increased by 9 percentage points. Coupled with aging population, the proportion of residents aged 55 and above that make up our labour force rose to 25% in 2019. While the LFPR of those in the next age band 25 - 54 years increased as well, the cohorts entering this age band were smaller than those who moved out due to lower birth rates. Hence the proportion of residents aged 25 - 54 in the labour force declined from 75% in 2009 to 67% in 2019. In 2019, the median working age is 44 years.
For both Title and Description, font color (as shown below) is the same.
From the Objects pane, drag and drop Blank in between your two charts.
From the Objects pane, drag and drop text box to the bottom of the canvas (below both charts). A box spanning the entire width of the canvas must appear before you release your cursor.
An Edit Text dialog box appears. Place the Source in the box. Update the font to Tableau Light, 9, with color = same as chart title.
Source: Comprehensive Labour Force Survey, Manpower Research & Statistics Department, MOM
Resize each pane. Reposition marker annotations and data labels accordingly. The final dashboard is shown below.
E. Three Major Observations
- Labour force participation rate of residents (LFPR) aged 65 & over years has increased the most, compared to other age groups, from 2009 to 2019. Their LFPR of 29% in 2019 is also the highest in ten years.
- Proportion of labour force aged 55 and above has increased by from 2009 to 2019. This suggests an aging workforce in Singapore.
- Despite the labour force participation rate for residents aged 25 - 54 years increasing over the past ten years, their proportion in our labour force has declined from 75% in 2009 to 67% in 2019.
Aside from an aging resident labour force, a greater proportion of elderly are continuing to work past the age of 65 years old and not retire earlier, despite Singapore having the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme.