Industry and agriculture

sign to a research centreQuaternary employment in the UK

The Quaternary sector of employment describes research work and the creation of new information. Sometimes described as the knowledge economy, it includes laboratory science (e.g. computing and biotechnology), creative industries (computer software, animation, new media and brand creation) and areas of finance where success depends upon the continual development of new ideas. Significant numbers of quaternary workers are actually military personnel or work within the arms industry.

Quaternary employment in the UK has become increasingly significant in recent decades. As many as 10-15% of the working population now belong to this sector, although it is often hard to distinguish between quaternary and tertiary sector work, especially in the fields of health, entertainment and education (e.g. many university lecturers also carry out research).

The growth of the quaternary sector has been driven by firms investing in larger research departments to help develop new products more quickly for saturated markets (constant innovation in mobile phone technology is a good example of this). The expansion of universities and higher education has also been a major influence, driven by government recognition that a high-skilled workforce is vital for the UK’s continuing economic success (we are still the 5th largest economy in the world). With manufacturing jobs moving overseas as part of a global shift in employment opportunities, the tertiary and quaternary sectors are now the major providers of employment in the UK.

Why is climate change boosting quaternary employment in the UK?

In 2004, Tony Blair spoke about the business opportunities brought by climate change. He argued that "the potential for innovation, for scientific discovery and hence, of course, for business investment and growth, is enormous. With the right framework for action, the very act of solving it can unleash a new and benign commercial force to take the action forward, providing jobs, technology spin-offs and new business opportunities as well as protecting the world we live in".

The Stern Review (2006) recommends that here in the UK we must act to boost the effectiveness of investments in innovation around the world, suggesting that “globally, support for energy R&D should at least double, and support for the deployment of new low-carbon technologies should increase up to five-fold.”

The power sector around the world will need to be at least 60% decarbonised by 2050 for atmospheric concentrations to stabilise at or below the critical level of around 550ppm CO2. According to Stern, there is only one scenario which allows lifestyles to remain unaffected: if we want to keep flying frequently, and also wish to continue consuming global products, then the world scientific community, encouraged by government, must rapidly innovate and deploy new low-carbon technologies.

There is no shortage of technical innovation needed and this could be a real driving force for further expansion of the quaternary sector. Fruits of recent European research include the new Airbus A380, which has the lowest fuel consumption per passenger of any large commercial airliner yet built (it requires less than three litres of fuel per passenger per 100 km travelled, making it more efficient than even the latest hybrid cars).

What else could be achieved with sufficient investment in quaternary sector research? Might it be possible to burn hydrogen instead of fossil fuels? Might improvements in the design of solar panels, marine turbines or wind turbines reap greater rewards? As more and more people adopt these technologies then the price of producing them lowers as an economy of scale develops – and profits are raised which can then be re-invested into fresh research.

Further Reading:

Student Practice Question:

Examine the factors responsible for the rise of quaternary employment in the UK.

Government support and private sector investment are themes to pursue as part of this assignment. Climate change is bringing plenty of opportunities for research scientists - both to monitor and predict its effects and to develop new forms of low-carbon technology.