The Way We Worked: Photographs from the National Archives New York City office workers at the Lever Brothers Office Building, ca. 1959. By mid-century, millions of Americans worked in offices. In 1940, professional, managerial, clerical, and sales workers made up less than a third of the workforce. By 1970, that number had grown to almost 50 percent. Women filled many of these positions, especially low-paying clerical jobs. Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration Previous | Back to Image Page | Next