Employment structure by sector in Southern Europe 1900-2000

The 1900s saw the economies and societies of Southern Europe transition from being agricultural and rural, to being urbanized and service orientated. In 1900, more than two third of the workforce in Southern Europe worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing, however this fell to less than 10 percent by the end of the century. A fairly similar share of the workforce had worked in either industrial or service sectors until the last quarter of the century, before services (particularly tourism) became the most common employment sector in Southern Europe. Although employment fell over time in agricultural and, later, industrial sectors, this did not result in a drop in output due to improvements in mechanization and automation, as well as higher productivity rates.