Unit 14

INDEX

3.    Economic activities

3.1   Work and the active population

3.2   Economic sectors:

      The primary sector

      The secondary sector

      The tertiary or services sector

3.3  Economic sectors in Spain.

3. - ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

3.1. - WORK AND THE ACTIVE POPULATION

To work means to perform an activity that requires intellectual or physical effort.  Workers usually receive a salary for their work. But there are non-salary jobs like housewives/husbands or volunteers.

In relation to work, we can classify a population into two groups:

-          Active population. It is the group of people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are physically able and old enough to work. The active population includes the employed, people with a job, and the unemployed, people don´t have a job.

-          Inactive population. It is the group of people who are older or who cannot work. They are under 16, over 64 or too ill to work.

3.2. - ECONOMIC SECTORS

There are three sectors in our economy. All jobs belong to one of three sectors.

      The primary sector includes people that obtain raw materials from nature for other industries.

o   The main activities are: animal farming, crop farming, fishing and mining.

 

      The secondary sector includes people that transform raw materials into elaborated products.

o   The main activities are: industry and construction.

 

      The tertiary or services sector includes people that provide services to others.

o   The main activities are: shops, transport, tourism, banking, administration, education, entertainment and health.

3.3. - ECONOMIC SECTORS IN SPAIN.

From Prehistory until the late 19^th century, most people

were employed in the primary sector. The secondary sector and the tertiary sector grew throughout the 20^th century as the primary sector decreased.

Nowadays, the tertiary or services sector employs most of the active population in Spain.

The distribution of economic sectors in our country is:

       The primary sector.  Only 5% (per cent or out of every hundred people) of people work in this sector. Mainly in some communities like Extremadura, Andalucía , Castilla- La Mancha,  Castilla-León, Galicia and Murcia.

      The secondary sector. About 30% work in this sector. In Madrid, País Vasco, Cataluña, Navarra, Aragón y Valencia.

      The tertiary sector. About 65% work in the services sector. In Canarias, Islas Baleares, Ceuta, Melilla, Madrid and Andalucía.

 

VOCABULARY

TO PERFORM	REALIZAR	ELABORATED PRODUCTS	PRODUCTOS ELABORADOS
TO REQUIRE	REQUERIR	TERTIARY SERVICES	TERCER SECTOR
EFFORT	ESFUERZO	SECTOR SERVICES	SECTOR SERVICIOS
NON SALARY JOBS	TRABAJOS NO REMUNERADOS	TO PROVIDE	PROPORCIONAR
HOUSEWIVES	AMAS DE CASA	BANKING	BANCA
BETWEEN	ENTRE	ENTERTAINMENT	OCIO
ABLE	CAPAZ	WERE EMPLOYED	SE EMPLEABAN
ENOUGH	SUFICIENTE	GREW THROUGHOUT	CRECIÓ A LO LARGO
THE EMPLOYED	LOS EMPLEADOS	TO DECREASE	DISMINUIR
THE UNEMPLOYED	LOS DESEMPLEADOS	NOWADAYS	EN LA ACTUALIDAD
JOB	TRABAJO	MINING	MINERÍA
OLDER	MAYOR
UNDER	POR DEBAO
TOO ILL	DEMASIADO ENFERMO
TO BELONG TO	PERTENECER A
TO INCLUDE	INCLUIR
TO OBTAIN	OBTENER
RAW MATERIAL	MATERIA PRIMA
MAIN	PRINCIPALES
ANIMAL FARMING	GANADERÍA
CROP FARMING	AGRICULTURA
FISHING	PESCA