The world's economies can be subdivided into three basic sectors whose sizes evolve as technology advances: agriculture, manufacturing, and services shift. Quantifying these shifts is fundamental to a grounded understanding of economic progress, and yet publication in this field has been minimal for many years.

The common perception stems from a narrow focus on the services sector. Farming and manufacturing are thought to be in decline while the data shows otherwise. A fresh perspective is built in Industrial Shift by examining the UN and OECD national accounts databases over recent decades and giving a unique dynamic analysis of the major shifts within industrial economies.