Economic Sectors
- An economic activity is the production, purchase or selling of goods and services
- Economic activities can be grouped into four sectors:
- Primary - mining, fishing, farming etc.
- Secondary - factory workers, clothing, steel production etc.
- Tertiary - nurses, lawyers, teachers, shop assistants, chefs
- Quaternary - hi-tech scientists, research and development
Worked example
Identify what is meant by an economic sector
[1]
| A. The chain of production in manufacturing | |
| B. An economic shift in employment | |
| C. A classification of types of employment | |
| D. A classification of employment structures |
- Answer:
- C [1] - a classification system for types of employment
- The other answers are not related to employment sectors which are the four groups - primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary
Exam Tip
Remember the economic sectors can also be used to group employment types. For example, a farmer is employed in the primary sector whereas a teacher is employed in the tertiary sector.
