Which is a primary industry?

fishing. It takes a raw material from nature.

Which is a tertiary industry?

teaching. It provides a service.

In a low-income country, which sector usually employs the most people?

primary. Most people work in farming.

What is a footloose industry?

one that can locate almost anywhere. It is not tied to raw materials or energy.

Which factor is most important for a high-technology industry?

skilled labour. It depends on research and expertise.

Employment structure and the location of industry

In plain words

What people do for a living changes as a country develops: from the fields, to the factory, to the office. And where a factory or office is built is never an accident.

8 things to know

Primary industry extracts raw materials: farming, fishing, forestry and mining. Secondary industry manufactures goods. Tertiary industry provides services. Quaternary industry provides knowledge: research, information technology and consultancy.
Employment structure is the proportion of workers in each sector.
In low-income countries most people work in primary industry. In middle-income countries secondary and tertiary industry are growing. In high-income countries most work in tertiary and quaternary industry.
The change happens as farming is mechanised and needs fewer workers, as factories grow, and later as manufacturing moves abroad and services expand.
Factors in the location of industry: flat, cheap land; a supply of labour with the right skills or at low cost; raw materials; energy; transport; and a market for the product.
Government policies such as grants and low taxes attract industry.
Modern communications and technology let many industries locate almost anywhere: these are footloose industries.
Containerisation, moving goods in standard steel boxes, has made shipping so cheap that goods can be made far from where they are sold.

Worked example

Explain why a high-technology company might choose a site near a university and an airport.

A university supplies highly skilled graduates and research the company can use.
An airport gives fast links for staff, customers and light, valuable products.
Its raw materials are small and light, so it does not need to be near them: it is footloose.

Tips and tricks

Give examples with each sector: a miner (primary), a car assembly worker (secondary), a teacher (tertiary), a software researcher (quaternary).
Different industries need different things. Heavy industry needs raw materials and energy. High-technology industry needs skilled labour and good communications.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Employment structure and the location of industry: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is a primary industry?
- car manufacturing
- banking
- fishing (the answer)
- software research
It takes a raw material from nature.
Which is a tertiary industry?
- mining
- steel making
- teaching (the answer)
- forestry
It provides a service.
In a low-income country, which sector usually employs the most people?
- primary (the answer)
- secondary
- tertiary
- quaternary
Most people work in farming.
What is a footloose industry?
- one that must be near raw materials
- one that can locate almost anywhere (the answer)
- one that makes shoes
- one that has closed
It is not tied to raw materials or energy.
Which factor is most important for a high-technology industry?
- nearness to a coal mine
- skilled labour (the answer)
- a large river
- cheap unskilled labour
It depends on research and expertise.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 9 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Employment structure and the location of industry

Cambridge IGCSE Geography 0460 · 9 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Define primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary industry.[4]
Show answerHide answer
Primary industry extracts raw materials. Secondary industry manufactures goods. Tertiary industry provides services. Quaternary industry provides knowledge and information services, such as research.
I got this one
Describe how employment structure changes as a country develops.[3]
Show answerHide answer
The share of workers in primary industry falls. Secondary industry grows first. Later, tertiary and quaternary industry become the largest sectors.
I got this one
Explain how containerisation has affected the location of industry.[2]
Show answerHide answer
It has made transporting goods by sea much cheaper. Goods can be manufactured in countries far from their markets.
I got this one

Answers: Employment structure and the location of industry

1. Primary industry extracts raw materials. Secondary industry manufactures goods. Tertiary industry provides services. Quaternary industry provides knowledge and information services, such as research.
2. The share of workers in primary industry falls. Secondary industry grows first. Later, tertiary and quaternary industry become the largest sectors.
3. It has made transporting goods by sea much cheaper. Goods can be manufactured in countries far from their markets.