The rise of the service sector is a major trend common to all western, industrialized countries. Employment in the service sector has increased in 1960-1986 in all 10 countries participating in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Human Resources project (Japan, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Yugoslavia, and the United States). Total employment has not increased in these countries. The correlation between strong overall employment growth and a high proportion of employment in the services is mixed. The health and the social services industries have led the employment increase in services in most countries. Women's share of total employment and their share of service sector employment are lowest in Belgium. In contrast, women outnumber men in services in France, Sweden, and the United States. Men predominate in industry in all countries. The age profiles of workers in industry and services differ significantly. Compared to industry workers, a larger percentage of service-sector workers are older in five of six countries. The percentage of younger workers is higher in services than in industry in three of six countries: Japan, the United States, and France. Some relationship is apparent between employment growth and age and gender concentrations, particularly for women. Educational attainment is higher in the service sector than in other industries. (Nine tables and 19 charts with employment data are appended.) (YLB)