Unit 2: Topic 4 – Making a LivingStudent Question and Answer Sheet Sheet

What are the four main types of employment?

  • Primary industry – extracting raw materials (e.g. fishing, farming and mining)
  • Secondary industry – manufacturing products (e.g. factories producing cars and microwaves)
  • Tertiary industry – providing services (e.g. nursing, teaching, plumbing and hairdressing)
  • Quaternary industry – research & development (e.g. laboratory work to find cures for diseases and microchip development to improve computers)

What employment changes do countries usually go through?

Using the Clark-Fisher model there are three phases of change:

  • pre-industrial (mostly agricultural jobs);
  • industrial (manufacturing jobs are most common);
  • post-industrial (tertiary jobs are very common – agriculture is very low and manufacturing is decreasing rapidly. Quaternary jobs are becoming more common)

How do two countries employment compare?

  • USA (de-industrialising): lots of tertiary employment and a big decrease in manufacturing
  • This means a big decrease in unskilled work (such as in factories) and an increase in skilled work
  • This might cause problems for people that are not well-skilled. Also, will there be enough tertiary jobs to make up for the loss of secondary industry
  • China (industrialising/industrialised): lots of manufacturing jobs and industry
  • This means lots of jobs for people in factories etc.
  • Lots of pollution in the atmosphere and water courses (rivers and lakes)
  • There could be a decrease in quality of life for people and animals/plants

What links are there between economic change and urbanisation in an industrialising country?

  • As countries industrialise they do so in urban areas where there are plenty of workers
  • This attracts more people to urban areas for employment which is not necessaryily available
  • This can lead to the formation of an informal economy which can mean people working in illegal unprotected jobs that are not taxed by the government and therefore contribute little to the economy and the benefit of others

What are the factors leading to diversification of the rural economy?

  • Rural economies have had to diversify as agriculture has become less important as a means of employment
  • As a result: there are less people living in rural areas – so services such as buses and post offices have become less common. This has not helped to attract other people to rural locations
  • Too many homes are owned by wealthy people working in cities and this means that there is a lack of affordable homes

What are the environmental impacts of changing employment: de-industrialisation and diversification in a developed country?

  • De-industrialisation has led to an increase in brownfield sites – environmentally unsafe; visually displeasing; and potentially dangerous
  • Diversification of the countryside includes farms focusing less on food production and switching to B&B provision for tourists, opening farm shops and providing activities such as clay pigeon shooting

What are the environmental impacts of employment change in a developing country (e.g. Mexico)?

Urbanisation (rural-urban migration) and the growth in towns and cities is having impacts:

  • Overcrowding = development of slums sanitation systems (sewers and rubbish collection) cannot cope which is resulting in environmentally unhealthy areas in cities
  • Resources are stretched = water in Mexico is in short supply. Aquifers under the city are being emptied quickly which means water is running out and the city is slowly sinking!

How has a named brownfield site been regenerated?

  • Fort Dunlop near Birmingham (UK) was a tyre manufacturer
  • Derelict for many years it is now a modern business/retail park
  • Lots of tertiary business e.g. call centres, architects and accountants locate there
  • There are shops, restaurants and even hotels available
  • The environment in this area is much improved visually and in terms of safety but there could be negative impacts associated with increased traffic to the site (air and noise pollution) and this may impact negatively on the health of local residents and employees

What potential is there for growth in the green employment sector?

  • Examples of green employment include: research and design of alternative energy such as solar panels and wind turbines; includes installing and maintaining solar panels and wind turbines; cavity wall insulation; eco-house building; workers in recycle centres.
  • The need for the ‘green sector’ to grow is increasing
  • Climate change is a threat and the ‘green sector’ offers sustainable solutions
  • A job in the green sector is likely to be more sustainable
  • Compared to something such as a job in oil refinery, green sector jobs will never run out or become unnecessary