GCSE Geography Unit 3 - Economic Change

Economic Change

Different economic sectors: There are three sectors of industry. Primary, secondary and tertiary. The importance of these sectors of industry differs with the level of development in the country. E.g. Tertiary industry in Germany (HIC) would be high and primary industry in Mali (LIC) would be high. Primary industry involves acquiring raw materials e.g. oil. Secondary industry involves manufacturing and assembling e.g. building houses. Tertiary industry involves providing services. E.g. a restaurant.

Employment patterns change over time:  An example of a country which has seen changes in its employment patterns over time is the UK. As countries develop there is a movement away from primary employment and into secondary and tertiary.

Reasons for decline in primary sector in UK: There could be a decrease of resources. Raw materials that used to be mined had run out. This causes a decline in the mining industry. Primary jobs such as farming are seen to be hard work. The jobs in primary industries are often low paid. Most raw materials now used in secondary sector in the UK are imported from abroard. This is because it is cheaper than mining deep underground. Fewer workers are needed in primary industries because their jobs are being done by machines.

Reasons for decline in the secondary sector in the UK: Developments in transportation means that goods can be moved around the world quickly and efficiently. Goods can be produced more cheaply in LIC's because workers are paid less and land is fairly cheap. Also, in LIC's governments would be less worried about environmental impacts and there would be less laws. The increase of machinery in the secondary industry has led to a decrease in the number of people employed.

Case study - the growth of secondary sector in China: Many new roads have been built by the government to improve transport in the country. The government has built many new nuclear and hydroelectric power stations to power the new industries. There is a large unskilled workforce, over 500,000 people have left the countryside to work in the centre. There…