Modern Changes in Industry in the UK

There are three key industry sectors - primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary sector obtains the raw materials e.g. agriculture, mining and quarrying. The secondary sector is the manufacturing and assembly process that converts the raw materials into components and produces items for sale such as computers, smartphones, vehicles, ready meals, houses and bridges. The tertiary sector refers to the commercial services that take these items, selling and distributing the manufactured products. Also included in this sector are things like transport, teaching, advertising and health care.

There is another sector to industry, a relatively new addition and often included with the tertiary sector - the quaternary sector. This refers to the information services that support industry and commerce and includes research and development (R&D), ICT and consultancy (companies and individuals who advise businesses). The tertiary and quaternary sectors account for almost 80% of employment in the UK in the 21^st century.

Heavy industry in the UK declined rapidly after the 1970s. At the time, foreign industries had become more competitive, transport costs were lower and so it started to become cheaper to import products such as coal and steel. A large part of the UK's economy depended on both coal and steel, like ship building and heavy engineering. There were a lot of workers strikes during the 1960s and 70s - workers were demanding better wages and working conditions. Gradually the UK-based heavy industries in the primary and secondary sectors became less and less economic to run and closed down. Since the start of the 21^st century, China has built up a strong base of industry in the primary and secondary sectors and is a major supplier of raw materials and goods to the rest of the world, much like the UK used to be.