Understanding the Service Economy

Services encompass an enormous range of activities united by intangibility—they involve doing something for someone rather than making something. In France, services include:

- Tourism and hospitality (6.8% of GDP) - Financial services and insurance (4.5% of GDP) - Business services and consulting (12% of GDP) - Information and communication technology (5.5% of GDP) - Retail and wholesale trade (10% of GDP) - Transportation and logistics (5% of GDP) - Health and social services (8% of GDP) - Education (5.5% of GDP) - Real estate activities (13% of GDP) - Public administration (8% of GDP)

This diversity makes generalizations difficult, yet common themes emerge: the importance of human capital, the role of digitalization, the significance of location, and the challenge of productivity measurement.