Understanding Employment (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Economics): Revision Note

• As Economies develop over time, they tend to progress through the different sectors (primary, secondary and tertiary) resulting in changes to the employment pattern

• E.g. More manufacturing jobs in the secondary sector attract workers who had previously worked in the primary sector

• Changing social attitudes have increased the number of women entering the workforce

• The proportion of women in the workforce still varies significantly between different economies e.g. Sweden has a much higher proportion of women in the workforce than India or Saudi Arabia 

• Workers doing informal work are not included in employment statistics

• Informal employment is much higher in less developed economies and tends to decrease as an economy develops

Proportion of Workers in the Public and Private Sector

Part-time and full-time

Work from home

• Between the Second World War and the late 1980's, the number of public sector employees was large in many economies

• With an increase in privatisation  and a move towards more market based economies, the percentage of employees in public sector work has decreased in many countries

• Working part-time provides more flexibility to workers and in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of part-time workers

• In some economies workers may not be able to find full-time work and may be working 2 or 3 part-time jobs to pay the bills

• Covid 19 caused many people to think about their pattern of work. Many workers are reluctant to return to a commuting lifestyle and wherever possible, are continuing to work from home