Quaternary/Knowledge Sector

A knowledge or intellectually-based economy underpins economic activity in the quaternary sector of the economy.

Economic activity in the quaternary sector focuses on intellectual or knowledge-based economies. This entails using scientific and technological knowledge to conceptualise, produce, interpret, organise, guide, and disseminate.

Creation is at the heart of this form of action. It’s the area of the brain that’s responsible for thinking, learning, and mastering new skills. Technology and human inventiveness are both used to generate value for society.

In other words, the activities that make up the quaternary sector may be considered a subset of the tertiary sector from an economic perspective.

The Quaternary Sector’s Characteristics

• Developed nations and large corporations take the lead
• An investment of both time and money
• Coordinates with other economic sectors
• Many labour marketplaces are disrupted as a result

Industry or Sector Examples of Quaternary

Consultancy, financial planning, designing, information technology, research and development (R&D), and information generating are some of the quaternary sectors. The entertainment business, media, culture, and government are included in specific interpretations of this term.

Artificial intelligence, big data, robots, the internet of things, self-driving cars, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and quantum computing are examples of emerging  goods and services of quaternary sector.

The Quaternary vs. Tertiary Sector Divide

In contrast to the tertiary sector, the quaternary sector’s services are intellectual rather than repetitious, the primary distinction between the two.

This distinction is tough to establish in the actual world, but it conveys what the sector is all about. Tertiary sector employment is simple to identify because of its repetitive nature. This includes cashiers, hairdressers, taxi drivers, and sweepers.

Examples Of Quaternary Jobs

It is easy to classify knowledge-based sectors or quaternary-sector employment such as academic researcher, financial analyst, web developer, movie director, writer, or painter. It is challenging to organise roles like physicians or teachers since the exact amount of scholarly study and growth that goes into these sectors is disputed. 

Development in Quaternary Sector 

The quaternary sector’s operations are growing increasingly due to work automation. Because of technology advancements, numerous work from primary, secondary, and even service sectors have been automated.

Agriculture, for example, has seen a growth in overall production while requiring less human labour because of the use of automation, fertilisers, and sophisticated farming methods.

Colin Clark and Jean Fourastié’s thesis on the three sectors reflects this concept. According to the idea, once a nation has reached a certain level of development, a fourth sector, the quaternary sector, would emerge.

The quaternary sector emerges as a result of a process known as deindustrialisation, which occurs when a nation achieves industrialisation and then goes through a period of rapid growth in the provision of intellectual services.

The quaternary sector isn’t limited to wealthy nations, of course. This sector is more common in countries where intellectual activity is encouraged, and individuals don’t have to worry about their daily survival. However, numerous underdeveloped countries have significant quaternary activities.

The advantages of the quaternary sector

• Entrepreneurial thinking is vital in this specialised field. Individuals take advantage of this sector to discover and build new items.
• These nations may concentrate on figuring out innovative approaches to assist the other industries.
• Specialised industries enable workers to improve their abilities. As an example of how it supports current systems, it allows consultants to work in a more advanced area of expertise.
• Quaternary Industry invests substantial time and resources in the development of new knowledge systems for use in the digital world.
• To assure the growth of the Quaternary Industry, large firms often undertake enormous expenditures.

Disadvantages

• It’s still a very specialised field, and as a result, employment drops off when the economy slumps.
• Because it does not give you food but instead focuses on new techniques for growing seeds more effectively, it is not a food source.
• As a result of the high level of expertise required in this field, the sector is forced to make considerable financial investments to retain its workers.
• In the Quaternary Industry, employment prospects are few.

Quaternary sector development

The quaternary sector’s operations are growing in importance as more occupations are being automated. Many jobs from primary, secondary, and even service-sector industries have been automated due to technological advancements.

Increased agricultural production has been achieved, although fewer people have been employed due to the use of technology, fertilisers, and advanced farming practices.

Colin Clark and Jean Fourastié’s three-sector theory is an excellent example. According to the idea, once a nation has reached a certain level of development, a fourth sector, the quaternary sector, would emerge.

Deindustrialization starts sometime after the country’s industrialisation, resulting in the emergence of a quaternary sector, as seen in the graph (Figure 1).

Even while the quaternary sector is more prevalent in industrialised nations, this does not imply that it is solely present there. This sector is more common in nations where intellectual activity is encouraged, and individuals don’t have to worry about their daily survival. However, there are numerous underdeveloped countries that have significant quaternary activities.

Conclusion

Although many economic models split the economy into merely three sectors, some divide it into four or even five. These two sectors are strongly associated with the operations of the tertiary industry, which is why they may also be classified within this branch. The fourth part of the economy, the quaternary area, comprises intellectual activity connected with technological innovation and basic knowledge about the banking sector. It is sometimes termed the knowledge economy. 

Activities related to this sector include governance, culture, museums, science and research, schooling, and information systems. These cognitive services and activities fuel technological innovation, which may significantly influence short- and long-term economic growth.