High share of services in GDP. The service sector in the modern economy

The so-called tertiary sector (services) includes transport and communications, rapidly developing business services (information, accounting, legal), science, education and healthcare. This industry also includes finance, credit and insurance, the entertainment industry and tourism, trade and catering, personal services, and public administration. The rapid increase in the share of the service sector in the GDP of developed countries has been called "servicing the economy."

The development of the service sector in Asian countries in the second half of the 20th century is closely related to the process of industrialization: it contributed to the strengthening of a number of old and the emergence of new industries in the tertiary sector. The evolution of the service sector, in turn, changed the face of industry and its structure. During the years of independence there have been fundamental changes in professional level employed in the industry, there was a dynamic growth in the number of engineering and technical personnel, and research centers were created almost from scratch in many Asian countries.

Recall that in 1950 in Asia (without Japan) about 80% of the economically active population was employed in agriculture (where more than half of GDP was created), 8% - in industry (15% of GDP). At that time, 12% of the active population worked in the service sector and about 1/3 of GDP was created.

By 2000, Asia's share of agricultural employment had fallen to about 42%, and the agricultural sector's contribution to GDP had fallen to 15%. About 17% of the employed worked in industry, which created over 40% of GDP, and in the service sector - more than 40% (slightly less than 45% of GDP). In contrast to the developed countries, in Asian countries there was a further increase in the absolute number of people employed in industry, and in the largest states - their share in the economically active population.

Thus, the most productive subdivision of the economy at the beginning of this century was industry. However, industrial enterprises have been able to make only a very limited contribution to solving the employment problem in Asia. Main scope of absorption work force, released in agriculture, as can be seen from the above figures, were services in which labor productivity is now significantly lower than in industry. At the same time, this sector is ahead of other units in terms of total value added (table "Share of services in GDP of countries and territories in Asia in 1950-2005"), and employment in it often looks much more attractive than work in agriculture .

The share of the service sector in the GDP of countries and territories in Asia in 1950-2005, %

Countries and territories of Asia	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2005
China	17	17	11	24	33	43	40
India	33	30	31	38	41	50	54
Indonesia	32	32	33	32	42	39	41
Pakistan	33	39	41	45	49	51	53
Bangladesh	...	...	32	38	50	51	55
Thailand	28	42	46	46	50	49	46
Philippines	40	44	43	40	44	52	53
Vietnam	...	...	...	...	39	39	38
The Republic of Korea	39	42	43	43	55	60	61
Malaysia	41	41	42	44	44	43	42
Taiwan	44	43	44	42	58	69	74
Singapore		79	67	61	67	66	67
Hong Kong (PRC)	80	62	61	68	72	83	87
Kazakhstan	...	...	...	...	33	54	56
Uzbekistan	...	...	...	...	34	43	43
Afghanistan	...	32	34	35	41	20	36
Sources: Bolotin B.M., Sheinis V.L. The economies of the flooding countries in numbers. Experience of legal-statistical research, 1950-1985. - S. 374-383; Key Indicators of Developing Asian and Pacific Countries. - Hongkong-ADB. Oxford University Press, 2003. - P. 104.

Averages hide significant differences between individual countries, both in terms of the share of services in total employment and GDP, and in terms of labor productivity.

The service sector is developing at the fastest pace in Hong Kong (accounting for more than 85% of GDP). In Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, this growth was the highest in the last decade and a half and now exceeds 65%. In fact, the listed countries and territories have reproduced the economic structure that has long been characteristic of developed countries, including Japan.

More than 50% of GDP is created in the service sector of countries such as India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. However, such a high proportion of the tertiary sector does not always indicate economic success. In these and many other countries in the second half of the 20th century, services increasingly acted as an industry - a social shock absorber, a refuge for unskilled labor. First of all, this concerned trade (especially retail) and personal services. The oversaturation of this sector with the labor force in the large cities of Asia is especially striking.

Separate sectors of the service sector in Asia have not developed as dynamically. In particular, this position for a long time concerned transport. The low initial level affected: in the middle of XX. century, Asia (including Japan) accounted for only 8% of the world's railways(by the end of the century this figure had tripled), only four ports were among the large ones - Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe and Singapore. AT infancy there were the automotive industry and highways, there was almost no civil aviation.

The weakness of the transport link hindered the progress of the economy. The domestic market remained insufficiently integrated, which did not allow to fully develop the specialization of individual regions, to reveal the economies of scale.

In the first decades of independence, railways were of particular importance for the largest Asian countries. However, as motor transport developed, their share in transportation decreased. The situation in India is typical: at the end of the 1990s, less than 40% of the freight turnover of modern transport was accounted for by railways, compared to almost 90% in 1951.

Railway construction in China is being carried out on a grand scale. By the beginning of the 21st century, the PRC accounted for more than a quarter of the world's railway cargo turnover. High-speed highways are being built, in 2006 the highest mountain railway in the world was put into operation, linking Qinghai province with Tibet. But even in this country, the share of railways in the transportation of goods and passengers is gradually decreasing (over the past 25 years it has decreased from 57 to 32%). This type of transportation is gradually giving way to road, water and air transport.

Maritime shipping in Asia plays the role of the main cargo carrier, and three Asian countries (Republic of Korea, Japan and China) top the list of the world's leading shipbuilding powers. Major shipowners include Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Iran and Malaysia. Between 2001 and 2005, Iran and Saudi Arabia more than doubled their tanker tonnage.

Major programs for expanding port infrastructure, deepening harbors, and building specialized berths were carried out during the reform years in China. Eight Chinese ports (not counting Hong Kong) are among the 50 largest container berths in the world, and in 2003 China ranked first in the world in terms of the number of containerized cargo handled.

At the same time, the relative weakness of infrastructure can result in significant foreign exchange losses. Thus, less than 35% of foreign trade cargo was transported on ships owned by Indian owners in the late 1990s. However, at present, foreign trade flows have increased significantly, and as part of navy India in 2000, there were about 400 large courts compared to 110 twenty years ago. China also has a negative balance in the transportation of foreign trade cargo, which widely uses the services of Hong Kong shipowners.

Inland river transport does not play a significant role in most Asian countries. One of the exceptions is the PRC, where r. The Yangtze is the most important transport artery of the country.

The countries of Asia (including Japan), although they account for only a quarter of the cargo and passenger turnover of the world air transport, this industry has been developing very rapidly over the past decade and a half. In the PRC alone, it is planned to build 45 large airports in the next five years. The airlines of this state, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong and Arab countries, became the largest customers of aircraft and ground navigation equipment at the turn of the century.

On the state of urban transport (and partly on the welfare of the population) in largest cities Asia can be judged from the table "Indicators of the development of urban transport in Asia in 2005".

Urban transport development indicators in Asia in 2005

Asian cities	Number of cars cars on thousand inhabitants	Medium speed movement, km/h	Number of funds public transport*	Number deaths in an accident*
Tokyo	307	26	976	53
Osaka	265	33	951	68
Bangkok	249	15	7890	192
Kuala Lumpur	209	28	429	283
Taipei	175	17	1113	184
Seoul	160	24	1122	170
Singapore	116	35	1304	79
Jakarta	91	19	2044	227
Manila	82	18	133375**	81
Hong Kong	47	28	1808	38
Beijing	43	18	657	38
Shanghai	15	20	738	82
Ho Chi Minh City	8	25	672	114
* Per million people ** Including "jeepies" - fixed-route taxis
Source: Ooi G.L. The Dynamism of East Asian Cities: Challenges for Urban Governance and Public Policy. - Wash.: The World Bank, 2006. - P. 230.

Noteworthy is the low level of motorization in Hong Kong - one of the richest cities in the world. This indicator is also low in Singapore, as well as in the cities of China, which makes them quite safe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

The information and communication revolution that unfolded at the end of the 20th century had a beneficial effect on the service sector in Asian countries, although at first it seemed to many that the so-called digital divide would sharply increase the distance between developed and developing countries. This did not happen, on the contrary, the countries of Asia (especially East) in a fairly short historical period have dramatically improved the provision of the economy and the population with modern means of communication, and have also become active participants in the information revolution. The development of its fruits was facilitated by achievements in the development of electronics, education and vocational training personnel received during industrialization. A positive role in the countries of South Asia was also played by the fact that a significant part of the population owns English language. New technologies - satellite communications, fiber-optic cables have made it possible to save huge amounts of money and, most importantly, time in the implementation of the integration of Asian spaces. In countries with hieroglyphic writing, the computer made it possible to significantly speed up office work, publishing, and so on.

The pioneers in the development of ICT (information and communication technology) in Asia are Japan and (NIS), including Singapore. Informatization of society was carried out quickly and on a large scale. The Republic of Korea, for example, already in 2003 outstripped the United States in terms of the share of citizens using the Internet. The PRC is becoming a recognized leader in the production of semiconductors: in 2006 alone, five factories for the production of 300 mm wafers were put into operation, by 2008 it is planned to open 20 factories for the production of microcircuits.

The increasing availability of modern means of communication makes them truly massive. The beginning of the 21st century saw a colossal expansion of Asian markets cellular communication by the largest countries. In China, the number of connections mobile phones increased by 50-100 million per year and reached 400 million in 2005. In India, 48 million units were sold in 2004, and 75 million in 2005.

The ICT revolution has opened up new, very large niches for expanding economic specialization developing countries. Characteristic is the activity of one of the current leaders of the Indian economy - the sector information technologies. At first, in the 80s of the XX century, it became known about the success of Indian programmers working abroad. In the early 1990s, Canadian and American firms working in the information and communication sphere launched active work in India. With the laying of additional communication lines between India, Europe and North America, as well as after the recession of the "new economy" in countries with high prices and wages the advantages of companies operating in India itself have become especially obvious. It is noteworthy that this country was able to increase exports software from $4.0 billion in 2000 to $7.7 billion in 2002, that is, during a period of sharp deterioration in the "new economy" in the United States. The city of Bangalore (Karnataka) has gained worldwide fame as an information technology center, not much inferior to the "Silicon Valley" in California.

Currently, the sector is rapidly developing, working on foreign orders with international business process outsourcing (BRO - business process outsourcing). Such orders come to India for accounting, legal, information and other services. In 2003 alone, 170 thousand new jobs were created in this sector, 220 of the world's largest companies out of 500 use its services. dollars, almost quadrupling compared to 2004. Removal of part of the office work alone American company General Electric saves her $350 million a year. The company employs 18,000 people in India.

India's comparative advantage is clear. average salary a call center operator in South Asia is about $6,000. A similar job in the US means a base rate of $40,000 (annualized).

The range of services is constantly expanding, the provision of which, thanks to modern means communication is profitable to transfer to the developing countries of Asia or create there. Thus, using electronic communications, doctors from China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh diagnose patients from developed countries (for example, according to computed tomography) and carry out routine work on their maintenance, Indian engineers perform design and design work for European companies. Chinese programmers serve users in Japan, and artists fulfill orders from US animation studios.

Given the significant gap in wealth between developed and developing countries, the expansion of the service sector and the information revolution do not remove the task of modernization from the agenda Agriculture and industry. Describing this problem in relation to China, the well-known economist Li Jingwen (Director of the Institute of Economic and Mathematical Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) noted in 2000: “Informatization can only accelerate the process of industrialization, but cannot replace it. raising the standard of living of the population."

The noted circumstance does not prevent the rapid informatization of China. The production of software for the domestic market is growing at an exceptionally high rate. From $5.5 billion in 2000, its value increased to $50 billion in 2005.

In India, the achievements of the communications industry are being introduced by the state into the rural economy. With the help of "simputera" (cheap PC), farmers in special points have the opportunity to follow the movement of market prices for agricultural products, which weakens the position of resellers.

During the years of independence, the financial and credit systems of Asian countries had to solve difficult problems. During the colonial period, foreign and local banks tended to refrain from financing new facilities in the manufacturing industry, concentrating on foreign trade or the sale and purchase of securities. The need to lend to industrialization and infrastructure construction, as well as the concentration of money capital for this, forced the governments of independent states to nationalize banks. Legislative assignment to credit institutions of priority (directive) sectors and proportions of lending, mandatory requirements for the purchase of government bonds, etc., have become widespread.

The development of China's banking system was somewhat peculiar. The first English bank opened its branch in China in 1856. The formation of national banking capital in the modern sense began much later. Only at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, banking institutions owned by the Chinese appeared, mainly in large port cities - Shanghai, Tianjin, Qingdao, Guangzhou. In 1928, the Central Bank of China was founded. In the 1930s, the Kuomintang government managed to achieve high degree centralization of the banking system with a high level of state participation in it. In 1945-1946, banks (including Japanese banks in Taiwan) were nationalized by the Kuomintang government. Shortly before the CPC came to power, in 1948, credit institutions were consolidated in the liberated regions and the People's Bank of China (PBOC) was established. In the first three decades of the existence of the People's Republic of China, the People's Bank of China, practically combining emission and credit functions, financed industrialization in a monopoly manner, mainly in a planned manner. Outside the country, in Hong Kong and Singapore, some financial institutions China. In the 1980s, commercial credit was restored, with the four largest state-owned banks (Industrial and Commercial Bank, Agricultural Bank, People's Construction Bank and Bank of China) now playing a leading role in the country's economy. The functions of the central bank are carried out by two organizations: the PBOC and the China Banking Management Committee, established in 2003.

In India, state-owned banks also control the bulk of the credit market (two nationalizations of banking and insurance institutions took place in 1969 and 1980). The first national bank in this country appeared in 1881. The largest commercial banks India - State Bank of India (established in 1955), Kanara Bank, Punjab National Bank (established in 1894). The functions of the central bank are carried out by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), formed in 1934.

In addition to the usual functions of a central bank (regulating money circulation, maintaining the exchange rate of the rupee, etc.), the RBI is involved in regulating the sectoral and territorial application of the directions of credit flows. The refinancing parameters depend on the compliance of commercial banks with the assignments for lending to priority sectors of the economy. In addition, banks are required to invest in low-income government securities; the proceeds from these investments are used to finance public investment.

In Iran, private and foreign banks, as well as Insurance companies were nationalized and enlarged after the Islamic revolution of 1979, and only at the beginning of this century, private credit organizations reappeared. As in many other Muslim countries, banking in this country is conducted in compliance with the principle of non-charge of riba ( bank interest). Payment for the services and loans of banks is usually made using various schemes for sharing with the bank the profits of industrialists and merchants received as a result of financing their projects. The forms of encouraging depositors are also varied: a bank, for example, can pay for individuals the costs of the Hajj.

State commercial banks dominate in Syria (90%), Taiwan, and still control a significant part of the credit market in the Republic of Korea (58%). Their soft loans, over a third of which were covered by central bank loans, important role in the development of the country's export sector in the 60s. Thus, in 1967, loans to exporters were provided in the Republic of Korea at 6% per annum with an average interest rate of 26%. The Central Bank was then transformed from an autonomous structure into an organ of the Ministry of Finance.

In Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, private banks are the market leaders. An important role in industrialization was also played by state (mixed) structures - the Development Bank of Singapore, the Temasek investment company, export credit insurance corporations, etc.

In most Asian developing countries, in addition to commercial banks, there are development banks (corporations, funds). Their main task is to finance important national projects with long payback periods.

In 1947-1949, Japan received significant commodity aid from the United States to stabilize the situation in the domestic consumer market. Deliveries of fuel, medicines, cotton and food amounted to 2.2 billion dollars. These goods were not distributed free of charge, the proceeds from their sale were credited to a special account of the budget. In the early 1950s, the funds from the account were used for targeted financing of the national economy through the State Development Bank.

Investment trust companies and other non-banking financial institutions have grown rapidly in recent decades. Rural banks and credit cooperatives are widespread in Asian countries. However, usury also persists (mainly in South Asia) - both in the countryside and in the city.

The monetary and financial crisis of 1997-1998 forced many Asian states to pay special attention to the state of their national credit systems. Compared with the end of the last century, by 2005 Asian banks had significantly increased the concentration of resources, adequacy indicators equity, profitability, the share of so-called bad assets (or non-performing debts, that is, loans on which borrowers do not pay interest or do not return the principal amount - non performing loans, NPL) has decreased. The supervisory and regulatory role of central banks has been significantly strengthened. Measures are being taken to limit risky investments, primarily in real estate and securities.

The finances of most Asian states, in contrast to the Anglo-American system, in which the stock market (market based) plays the leading role in financing the economy, are based on bank credit (credit based). Nevertheless, Asian stock markets play an increasing role in financing economic development (table "Equity Market Capitalization in Asian Countries and Territories, 1980-2005").

Capitalization of share markets in countries and territories of Asia in 1980-2005, billion dollars

Countries and territories of Asia	1980	1990	1995	1998	2000	2002	2005
Hong Kong (PRC)	39	83	385	343	623	463	1055
Singapore	24	34	132	96	152	100	172
Japan	380	2918	3667	2496	3157	612	3678
India	8	14	127	105	143	126	553
Indonesia	...	8	66	22	27	30	81
PRC	...	2	42	237	591	463	781
The Republic of Korea	4	110	182	115	148	216	718
Malaysia	12	49	223	96	113	127	180
Taiwan	6	101	187	260	247	261	317
Turkey	...	19	21	34	70	34	75

The economic dictionary defines the concept of "services" as "any intangible economic activity(hairdressers, catering, insurance, banking, etc.) that directly or indirectly contribute to the satisfaction of human needs” 1 . In the mass perception, the concept of “services” is identified with a complex of high-tech and intellectual financial and business services, with the branches of science, education, and healthcare.

Wherein services sector is considered not as a single industry, but as a large-scale sector of the economy with a complex structure, which is reflected in the definition of the term "service sector". As the researchers write, the service sector should be considered “not as a special branch of the national economy, characterized by a certain content of a particular labor, but as a special, most promising area economies with specific subject-subject relations and links in exchange” . Another definition sounds like this: “the service sector is a set of industries, sub-sectors and activities, the functional purpose of which in the system social production expressed in the production and sale of services and spiritual benefits for the population” (as well as for production and society as a whole).

Indeed, the modern service industry includes a large number of "branches, sub-branches and activities", grouped together using various classifications. For example, the WTO identifies more than 150 types of services classified in 12 sectors:

• 1) business services;
• 2) communication services;
• 3) construction and related engineering services;
• 4) distribution services;
• 5) educational services;
• 6) financial services;
• 7) services related to protection environment;
• 8) health care services;
• 9) social security services;
• 10) tourist services;
• 11) services related to the organization of leisure, cultural and sports events;
• 12) transport and other, not included in the above. The OECD classification is also widely used in world practice.

In Russia, service activities are defined on the basis of two classifiers: of the All-Russian classifier types of economic activity and the All-Russian classifier of services to the population. They differ from each other, firstly, by the principle of association various kinds services in the category, and secondly, the approach to attributing certain types activities in the service sector or in industrial production. This leads to certain contradictions and inaccuracies in statistics, complicates the analysis economic activity exchange of information, including at the international level.

In the post-industrial economy, the service sector becomes a backbone sector of the economy. It is in this area that 70-80% of GDP is produced in developed countries today, it is this area that is the main place of application labor resources high level education, qualifications and provides the predominant number of jobs in the economy. In developed countries, the service sector accounts for more than 70% of the number of employees and more than 2/3 of capital investment. Modern information and communication technologies are especially actively used in the service sector. In recent decades, the service sector has been gaining a stable position in the world economy, and international trade in services has been developing. At present, it is estimated world bank, the share of income from the service sector in the structure of world GDP is about 68%. All this gives grounds for scientists to call the modern economy a service economy, or a service economy.

The scale and features of the development of the service sector, or the service economy, just allow us to characterize the current stage of economic development as post-industrial. At the same time, the level of development of the service sector is different in different countries of the world. Researchers distinguish four groups of countries, using the share of income from the service sector in GDP as a criterion for differences. To first group they include countries in whose GDP the share of income from the service sector is over 70% (Great Britain, Luxembourg, USA, Denmark, France, the Netherlands). In second group they include countries with a value of 65-70% (Austria, Italy, Finland, Spain). third group countries are countries such as Norway, Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia. The share of income from the service sector in the GDP of these countries is 50-65%. Russia can also be included in this group, where in 2004 the share of income from the service sector amounted to about 52% of GDP. To fourth group include countries with an indicator value of less than 50% (Burundi, Botswana, Ghana, Mali, etc.).

The growth trend of the service economy emerged in the developed countries of the world as early as the 1970s. For example, in Denmark, already in 1975, the share of income from the service sector in GDP was 76.5%. However, this trend was predicted much earlier. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. to the question of services from the position economic theory F. Quesnay, A. Smith, K. Marx, A. Marshall addressed. Starting from the 1930s-1940s. concepts of the economic development of society are being developed, taking into account the shift in emphasis from the sphere industrial production to the service sector of the economy. For example, the authors of the theory of structural changes A.J.B. Fisher and K. Clark identify three sectors of social production. They refer to the primary sector industries associated with obtaining primary resources (agriculture and mining), to the secondary sector - manufacturing industries and construction, while the tertiary sector is represented by the service sector.

W. Rostow distinguishes five stages of economic development (growth). Each stage is determined by the level of development of technology, the sectoral structure of the economy, and the structure of consumption. The first stage - "traditional society" - is distinguished by a high share of agriculture in the production of gross product, a low level of technical development. The second stage - the "period of prerequisites for take-off" - is associated with the development of trade, the penetration of scientific and technological achievements into agricultural production. The third stage - "takeoff" - is associated with industrial revolution. The fourth stage - "movement towards maturity" - is characterized by the rapid development of science, industry, the emergence of new industries, and an increase in the share of skilled labor. W. Rostow calls the fifth stage the “era of mass consumption”: at this stage of development, the economy is subordinated to the tasks of personal consumption, and the service economy, rather than industry, begins to play the main role.

A prominent place in a number of studies on the topic of "post-industrial society" is occupied by the works of D. Bell, in which the author identifies three stages of economic development: pre-industrial, industrial, post-industrial. According to D. Bell, the transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial one goes through a number of stages, and at each stage the importance of the service sector increases. At the first stage, the development of industry contributes to the expansion of transport and other services related to the movement of goods. The second stage is connected with the expansion of the sphere of distribution, i.e. wholesale and retail, financial sphere, insurance services in conditions of mass consumption wealth. At the third stage, with the growth of national income, the demand for intangible benefits also grows: educational, medical, environmental services, services related to the sphere of recreation and leisure.

Researchers note that the rapid development of the service economy is due to a number of factors related to different aspects of society. These are the new policy of the state, and the scientific and technological revolution (STR), and the transition of the economy to a new technological order, which is based on ICT, and business development trends, and social changes, and the processes of internationalization and globalization, and the growth of openness of national economies.

Thus, the state influences the service sector, on the one hand, by easing regulation or even deregulation of such industries as transport, telecommunications, insurance, and on the other hand, through tightening legislation in matters of environmental protection and consumer protection. Scientific and technological revolution causes the emergence of a whole range of innovative services related to ICT, which removes barriers to the provision of services at a distance, stimulates the development of the global service market. The progress of technology is accompanied by qualitative changes in the systems of organization, management and structure of production. Speaking about new trends in business development, it should be noted the expansion of service activities by enterprises, the spread of franchising, greater attention to consumer needs, and increased requirements for hiring personnel. Social changes are expressed in the growth of incomes of the population and the corresponding change in the structure of expenditures and lifestyle 1 . The integration of countries into the world trade and cultural space affects a whole range of services: transport, financial, tourism, medical, educational, telecommunications, etc.

International trade in services is governed by the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which aims to reduce government measures that hinder the free movement of services across borders or discriminate against service companies formed with foreign capital. Since most services are invisible, intangible, trade in services is often referred to as "invisible" exports and imports. All theories of the international division of labor and international trade(the theory of relative advantages of D. Ricardo, the theory of absolute advantages of A. Smith, etc.) are applicable to trade in services in the same way as to trade in goods.

Speaking about international trade in services, they mean the following options for their supply. Firstly, cross-border supply: supply of services from the territory of the country where the supplier is located to the territory of the country where the consumer is located (distance learning). Secondly, consumption abroad, which involves the movement of the consumer (or the movement of his property) to the country where the service is provided (tourist services, medical clinic services). The third way of delivery involves moving individual- a service provider to the territory of the country where the consumers of the service are located (services of a specialist, doctor, teacher). The fourth way involves commercial presence one country on the territory of another, where the service is provided.

In recent years, the service sector has undergone qualitative changes. First, the role and importance of knowledge-intensive sectors of the service economy (education, R&D, healthcare, finance, telecommunications) has increased. Secondly, the active use of the achievements of scientific and technical progress has changed the technology for providing traditional services. For example, there appeared Email, distance learning, online shopping, etc. Thirdly, services have become full-fledged objects of international trade. According to the WTO, for the period 1980-2005. world export commercial services increased 6.7 times (from 362 billion to 2414.7 billion dollars). At the same time, the import and export of services can either be independent or accompany trade in goods on the world market (insurance, banking, consulting services).

The leader in trade in services is the United States, whose share in world exports and imports of commercial services in 2005 was 14.6% and 12.2%, respectively. This is followed by France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan. But if in the UK, France, exports of services exceed their imports, then Germany, Japan are among the countries in which there is an excess of imports of services over their exports. Russia's share in world exports and imports of services in 2005 was 1.0% and 1.6% respectively 1 .

The service sector in each country is individual, unique. With the development of world trade in services, international competition in this area is also increasing. Some countries have already taken strong positions in their niches. Researchers talk about the Swiss banking system and plastic surgery, about the English insurance industry and auction trade, about the American system of business education and the hospitality industry. Singapore is a global financial center and Mexico specializes in tourism services.

• Dictionary of economics: translation from English. / ed. P.A. Vatnik. St. Petersburg: School of Economics, 1998, p. 611.
• Klikich L.M. The evolution of the service sector: a non-equilibrium approach. M „ 2004. S. 18.
• Rutgaizer V.M., Koryagina T.I., Arbuzova T.I. etc. Service sector. New development concept. M., 1990. S. 5.
• In accordance with the pattern discovered in the XIX century. E. Engel and called "Engel's law", income growth leads to a decrease in the share of consumer spending on essentials and an increase in the share of spending on luxury goods, recreation.
• Commercial presence is understood as the creation or acquisition of a branch, representative office, institution, i.e. legal entity, for example, the activities of a foreign bank, a foreign insurance company, a service company in the territory of another country.

Structure of Russia's GDP

The modern Russian economy is characterized by its transitional state, as well as the presence of state ownership in some of the most important and strategically significant areas of life. During the period of gaining full independence, some market reforms took place, which helped to implement the privatization processes of most of both industrial and agricultural enterprises. The exception was the energy and military sectors of Russia. Modern GDP Russian Federation directly depends on income from the hydrocarbon industry, which includes oil and gas products. They make up about 10% of the gross domestic product, 50% of the federal budget, and just over 70% of all exports. Russia's share in the world's GDP is approximately 3%.

As of 2017, Russia's GDP is approximately 7975.8 billion rubles. This is only 0.6% more than the previous year. According to the State Statistics Committee, Russia's GDP per capita is 485.8 thousand rubles. According to the main sectors of the economy, the structure of Russia's GDP is as follows:

1. Agricultural structure - 4%;
2. Industry - 36.3%
3. Services - 59.7%.

Remark 1

Also, the activities of the State Statistics Committee are related to the study of the percentage of primary income in the gross domestic product. For example, wages for wage earners are approximately 52%, net taxes are 15.7%, and the overall profit of the economy is 32%.

As for the contribution of other categories to Russia's GDP, it looks like this: 15.6% falls on the manufacturing industry, 12.3% falls on rent and services government controlled and ensuring military security. Mining is 10.1%. Other categories also include the following:

1. Transport and communication services - 8.7%;
2. Social insurance of the population - 6.6%;
3. Construction services - 6.5%;
4. Financial activities of economic personnel - 5.4%;
5. Social services (primarily health insurance and health care) - 4.2%;
6. Agriculture and forestry, hunting in specially permitted areas - 4%;
7. Production of electricity, its subsequent distribution, distribution of gas and water in the structure of the population - 3.4%;
8. Educational services - 3%;
9. Other services of a communal, social and personal nature - 1.8%;
10. Restaurant business and hotel services - 1%;
11. Fishing (permitted in specially designated areas, as an officially fixed activity) - 0.2%.

The specifics of Russia's GDP

Definition 1

The GDP of any country is the total market value of all goods and services produced domestically in a given period of time.

Most often, the value of the gross product is used to determine the potential of the economy of a particular country, as well as to predict its future. However, the defining value for this analysis is not the size of GDP, but its structure in accordance with the industries operating in the state. That is, it is necessary to know from which sources the total income of the state is formed.

Most often, economists note that Russia's GDP is most dependent on the supply of oil and gas products. But Rosstat data on the structure of the GDP of the Russian Federation for the period 2016-2017. indicate that this statement is not entirely true. According to statistics, the main areas that form the gross product of Russia are the following:

• Real estate transactions at various levels - 15.39%;
• Wholesale and retail trade - 14.18%;
• Manufacturing production in several areas - 12.73%.

As for the share of oil, in Russia's GDP it is even less than 9%. Thus, the Russian Federation, despite the obvious difficulties and contradictions that have developed in the economic sphere in recent years (the economic crisis, conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, sanctions from the United States of America and Europe), has a fairly good potential for growth. Experts' forecasts indicate that industry and services will continue to develop, which will allow the economy to remain stable.

However, there are also areas that cannot be called successful. For example, in complete stagnation is the hotel and catering business, whose share is less than one percent. Concerning the contribution higher education, then it is also very modest - only 2.5% (according to the data at the beginning of 2017, this figure also decreased). The share of SMEs (small and medium-sized businesses) in the structure of Russia's GDP is approximately 20%. However, it should be noted that this figure could be much higher. The influence of wholesale and retail trade on the gross product decreased significantly – by 10.1%. The same applies to the manufacturing industry - by 5.5%.

Remark 2

Thus, we can conclude that, despite the orientation Russian economy for the extraction and further export and sale of minerals, their contribution to Russia's GDP has decreased markedly.

Over the past 4 years, researchers have noted a decrease in the share of mineral processing by almost four percentage points. First of all, this is due to a surge in activity in the services market. According to Rosstat, this type of activity brought the GDP of the Russian Federation almost 9.4 trillion rubles in 9 months. rubles. This is a significant increase in volume compared to 2012 (by 3.1 trillion rubles).

The industry that is engaged in import substitution - agriculture is also growing. In connection with the sanctions that were imposed on Russia by many European countries, as well as the United States of America, our country was forced to switch to its own production in order to get rid of dependence on the above-mentioned countries. Today, the share of agriculture in Russia's GDP is 4.4% (for comparison, but in 2012 this figure was 3.8%). In absolute terms, this number exceeds 400 billion rubles.

The choice of your business is largely determined by the economic prospects of a particular activity. A novice entrepreneur should pay attention to the rapidly developing sector of the Russian economy - the service sector.

The service sector is a set of activities aimed at the production and sale of services to the population.

Since the end of the 1990s, the attitude of the state towards the production and supply of services to the population has changed. Over the past years, the share of the services sector in GDP has noticeably increased, but nevertheless, Russia lags behind the countries of Europe and the United States in these parameters. Thus, the US economy is sometimes called a service economy, since the share after-sales service in is 77%.

In addition, the service sector plays an important role in the employment of the population. The production of services in some cases does not require large investments and guarantees the creation of jobs and economic stability. In other cases, it ensures the improvement and development of industry.

Today, the service sector is significantly improved, new technologies are being introduced and modern forms service and interaction with customers, and competition among service companies is increasing.

The classifications are different according to the selected criteria. However, there are some that give general idea about this kind entrepreneurial activity as a service industry.

According to the criterion of "population's needs": services by goods (consumer services, transport, communications), by goods (education, science, Physical Culture and sports, art), production in social sphere(housing, health, trade).

According to the criterion of "tangibility - intangibility" Lovelock distinguishes:

a) services that are tangible actions that are aimed at the human body (health care, sports and tourism, catering, transport, beauty and hairdressing salons, etc.);

b) services that are tangible actions that are directed to other physical objects (freight transport, veterinary services, repair and maintenance of equipment, household services);

c) services that are intangible actions aimed at (media, information, education, cultural institutions);

d) services representing intangible actions with intangible assets (insurance, banks, legal services and others)

According to the criterion of "economically significant prices" are divided into market (transport, trade, education, healthcare, household, financial intermediation and others) and non-market (science, free education and medicine, defense, management)

According to the criterion “object of service provision”, the European Union distinguishes three types: a) for the consumer (auto repair, beauty salons, catering, hotel business etc.); b) for business (legal, audit, consulting, information, computer, wholesale, and others); c) for the consumer and business.

It is necessary to pay attention to such a factor in the development of the service sector as territorial distribution. Each region, due to its natural and ethnic characteristics, forms a certain set of consumer services. It should be noted that the volume paid services in Russia has increased markedly in recent years.

So, if the service sector is the final choice of a novice businessman, then it is necessary to bear in mind some features of the services. Services are produced and consumed at the same time, so their sale depends on the skills of the staff. They are intangible, so an important factor in the economic growth of the enterprise is the trust of the consumer. There are difficulties in identifying and accounting for services.