Is Economical and Social Development Really Linked with the Shift of Labour from Secondary to Tertiary Sector? Evidence from the Italian Case

In the present paper, first, we have carried out a study about regional deprivation in Italy and tested it with a variable test (in this case, life expectancy at birth) to estimate its goodness. RDI index is linked with life expectancy at birth about 60%. Then we have divided Italian Regions into five different classes, from the “best” (less deprived) to the “worst” (much deprived) one. In each group we have examined the working population in every sector and the share of labourers in primary, secondary and tertiary sector, in order to verify the usual argument according to which growth and socio-economic development go with the boost of tertiary. The tertiary sector is determined according to ISTAT definition, which includes public administration. However, in a further step of our analysis we separate private from public tertiary. The evolution towards the advanced “post-industrial” society is apparently proved wrong in this case.