 Service sector |
In economics, the tertiary sector (also known as the service sector) is the economic sector which comprises the provision of services as opposed to the manufacture of finished goods. Services (also known as "intangible goods") include attention, advice, access, experience and affective labour.
"Service industry" redirects here. For the Austin, Texas-based band, see The Service Industry.
For the part of the economy sometimes referred to as the "third sector", see Voluntary sector.
The tertiary sector involves the provision of services to other businesses as well as to final consumers. Services may involve the transport, distribution and sale of goods from a producer to a consumer, as may happen in wholesaling and retailing, pest control or . The goods may be transformed in the process of providing the service, as happens in the industry. However, the focus is on people by interacting with them and serving the customers rather than transforming the physical goods. The has been long regarded as a service, but some economists now attribute it to a fourth sector, called the .