O secondary sector is one of the subdivisions of economic activities that comprises industry and civil construction. The main function of the secondary sector is the manufacture of goods through the transformation of raw material originating from the primary sector and inputs that, in some cases, come from the industry itself, giving rise to a finished product.
This segment ranges from the extractive and transformation industries to electricity generation and is very important for the development of national economies and the creation of jobs.
Read too:What are the sectors of the economy?
Summary about the secondary sector
The secondary sector is a segment of the economy that brings together industrial activities, which includes the extractive industry and civil construction.
This sector is also considered to be the generation of electricity and water treatment companies, which are inputs used in industry.
It is the sector responsible for manufacturing goods, transforming raw materials into finished products.
The secondary sector is important because it generates wealth for countries and employs a large portion of the population. population both in the industry itself and in the productive and service sectors associates.
The development and evolution of the secondary sector coincides with the advent of industry and the modernization of the production process.
In Brazil, this segment gained strength from the first half of the 20th century, diversifying and integrating into the international economy from the end of that period.
The Brazilian secondary sector stands out today in the automobile, steel, metallurgical, petrochemical, paper and cellulose, food, civil construction and electricity generation sectors.
What is the secondary sector?
The secondary sector is a area of the economy that transforms raw materials into products and finished goods. This sector is also known as the industrial sector, considering that it encompasses the activities of all types of industry: from the basic industry to the consumer goods industry. Civil construction activities and extractive industries are also part of the secondary sector.
Characteristics of the secondary sector
The secondary sector is characterized by being responsible for transforming one or more raw materials into a finished product.
The raw materials and inputs used by the secondary sector originate both in the primary sector of the economy, which includes agricultural and livestock activities and extractivism, as well as in the secondary sector itself. In the case of raw materials and inputs of industrial origin, they are produced in so-called basic industries.
To the Activities developed by the secondary sector are typically urban, that is, carried out in cities and urbanized areas. This happens because it is in these spaces that the infrastructure networks necessary for the production and flow of products are concentrated, that is, for their transport. These networks include electricity, transport It is communication.
One large number of people act as labor in the secondary sector of the economy, considering all stages of the production process within industries and factories. Leaving the manufacturing environment, civil construction is an area of activity in the secondary sector that generates also many jobs in conjunction with industrial services, such as energy generation electrical.
Read too: Agriculture — activity linked to the primary sector of the economy
Secondary sector activities
The secondary sector is made up of economic activities that consist of the manufacture of new products from certain raw materials and inputs. Therefore, we can say that industry is the main component of this branch of the economy, and all productive branches of industry are part of the secondary sector. Examples are:
metallurgical;
steel mills;
vehicle manufacturers;
textiles;
clothing and footwear;
of food and beverages;
pharmaceuticals;
furniture makers;
of electronic products and components;
home appliances.
These are just some types of industries whose activities form the secondary sector. Industries associated with mineral exploration are also considered second sector activities, as is the case with oil companies and mining companies.
Although not directly linked to industries, the Civil construction is classified as a secondary sector activity of the economy. Its achievement depends on inputs from both the primary sector and many of the industries mentioned above. Urban services and infrastructure companies, such as electricity generation and distribution and water supply, are also included in this sector.
Why is the secondary sector important?
The secondary sector is one of the main segments of the economy of emerging countries and developed. In addition to the supply of processed raw materials for other branches of the economy and the manufacture of goods, which are important activities By themselves, industries that are part of the secondary sector generate wealth for national economies and employ a large portion of the population. population.
Job creation also occurs in other segments of the economy, as an indirect result promoted by the secondary sector. This happens mainly in services that are linked to industries and are fundamental for the production process, such as transport, communication networks and infrastructure, for example. It is also worth highlighting that the employment of labor in the secondary sector varies according to the degree of automation of the sector. production and the technological level adopted in the production stages, which demands different profiles of workers.
O A country's economic development is closely linked to the secondary sector from him. A broad and diversified industry indicates dynamic and integrated national economies, favoring their modernization and attracting new investments to the sector.
The expansion and development of the secondary sector were also important in urbanization from different locations around the world and to this day they promote profound transformations in the landscape.
Development of the secondary sector
O development of the secondary sector coincides with the process ofTheIndustrial Revolutionwhich began in England during the 18th century. Manufacturing activities had previously taken place in workshops and required manual labor. With the Industrial Revolution, the automation of production processes and the expansion of the production scale occurred, in addition to the consolidation of capitalism as the main economic system in force in the world.
The process that was restricted to the European continent, at first, it gradually spread to the countries that we know today as developed countries, which resulted in concomitance with a new phase of the Industrial Revolution, marked by the introduction of technical innovations, such as motors combustion. Furthermore, new production models were presented that transformed the way of working and producing inside factories.
The scientific and technological evolution of society has allowed us to reach an unprecedented level of modernization in the secondary sector of the economy, with the diversification of productive branches. of industry, increasing use of new technologies in the production process and a new international division of labor based on production techniques and industrial development.
Read too: Third Industrial Revolution — the Technical-Scientific-Informational Revolution
Secondary sector in Brazil
Unlike what happened in developed countries, the industrialization process in Brazil and, consequently, the development of the national secondary sector tEve late start. It occurred as a result of capital accumulation in the primary sector and gained strength with import substitution policies in the first half of the 20th century. The first Brazilian industries were basic industries, which are those that provide inputs for other productive sectors. They were created in the 1940s.
O Brazilian industrial sector grew and diversified over time, becoming increasingly integrated with the international economy mainly from the last decades of the 20th century. Initially concentrated on Southeast region of the country, today the companies that make up the secondary sector are distributed throughout the national territory, with important industrial hubs located in North region, as in Manaus, and in cities in North East such as Camaçari, in Bahia.
In addition to civil construction and electricity generation, the secondary sector in Brazil stands out in the following productive sectors:
steel and metallurgy;
automobile;
petrochemical;
Paper And Cellulose.
