Research Policy and Review 4. Services in a Postindustrial Economy

Abstract

Service activities are major employers in developed countries, and it is widely believed that they will remain the main source of job creation. In this paper the processes of technological, employment, and locational change in tertiary activities in the United Kingdom are described. Although the UK economy is in employment terms a service economy, contrary to some predictions, this has coincided with material need and high unemployment. Employment growth in the tertiary sector is constrained by the poor performance of manufacturing and by ‘self-servicing’ within the household economy. However, contrary to some speculation, it seems unlikely that the introduction of computer-based technology will have a major impact on service employment during the 1980s. Nevertheless, concern is expressed about the quality of employment provided in some services, and spatial disparities in the location of tertiary employment.