Employment

2026 Syllabus Objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

  1. Define the terms primary, secondary and tertiary in relation to occupations
  2. Describe and explain the proportions of the workforce engaged in each of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, and any changes in these proportions that may have taken place or may be taking place
  3. Understand and explain the causes of rural and urban unemployment and underemployment (that is, people who are not fully employed), and understand the problems for development created by underemployment and unemployment
  4. Describe and explain the availability of skilled labour (people qualified for the professions, for management and as technicians, etc.) and manual labour
  5. Understand that unemployment and underemployment can be factors that influence GNP and GDP
  6. Understand and evaluate the importance for Pakistan's development of literacy, education and training for both males and females, in rural as well as urban areas

1. Understanding the Three Sectors of Employment

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The workforce in any country can be divided into three main sectors based on the type of work people do. Think of these sectors as different stages in how we get products and services.

Primary Sector

Definition: The primary sector includes all jobs that involve extracting raw materials directly from the earth or sea. These are the most basic jobs that get natural resources.

Examples in Pakistan:

  • Agriculture (farming crops like wheat, rice, cotton)
  • Mining (digging out coal, gas, petroleum, minerals from underground)
  • Fishing (catching fish from the sea or rivers)
  • Forestry (cutting trees for wood)
  • Livestock rearing (raising animals like cattle, sheep, goats)

How it works: A farmer growing cotton is in the primary sector because they're taking a raw material (cotton) directly from the land. A fisherman catching fish from the Arabian Sea is also in the primary sector because they're extracting food directly from nature.

Secondary Sector

Definition: The secondary sector includes all jobs that involve processing and manufacturing raw materials into finished products. These jobs take what the primary sector produces and turn it into something we can use.

Examples in Pakistan:

  • Steel making (turning iron ore into steel)
  • Textile mills (turning raw cotton into cloth)
  • Furniture making (turning wood into chairs, tables, beds)
  • Food processing (turning raw sugar cane into white sugar)
  • Construction (building houses, roads, bridges)
  • Assembly industries (putting together cars, electronics)

How it works: If a factory worker takes raw cotton (from the primary sector) and weaves it into fabric, that's a secondary sector job. The worker is manufacturing something new from a raw material.

Tertiary Sector

Definition: The tertiary sector includes all jobs that provide services rather than making physical products. These are jobs where people help others or provide support.

Examples in Pakistan:

  • Transport (bus drivers, truck drivers, train operators)
  • Banking (bank tellers, managers)
  • Trade (shopkeepers, market sellers)
  • Education (teachers, lecturers)
  • Healthcare (doctors, nurses, hospital staff)
  • Administration (government office workers)
  • Insurance (insurance agents)
  • Telecommunications (phone and internet company workers)

How it works: A teacher educating students doesn't make a physical product – they provide a service (education). A bus driver transporting people from one place to another is also providing a service (transport).

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