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The first episode of Thorsten Meyer AI’s “Work After Work” series uses the three-sector model to trace how employment shifted from agriculture toward manufacturing and services. The figures cited show that shift across the United States and parts of Asia, while the author’s suggestion that automation could become a distinct sector is presented as a thesis, not an established forecast.
Thorsten Meyer AI published the first episode of its planned 60-part “Work After Work” series on November 2, using the shift from farming to factory and service jobs to frame questions about how automation may change employment. The episode introduces the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors and presents historical employment estimates; its suggestion that automation could eventually form a sector of its own is the author’s thesis, not a confirmed outcome.
The episode groups economic activity into three broad sectors: the primary sector, which takes resources from nature, including farming, fishing and forestry; the secondary sector, which makes goods and includes manufacturing and construction; and the tertiary sector, which provides services such as transport, trade, health care and education. The source notes that classification can vary: mining, for example, has been placed in different sectors by different statisticians.
Figures cited in the episode show how the mix of work changed over time. In estimates by economist Stanley Lebergott, farming accounted for 73.7% of the US labor force in 1800, falling to 12.0% in 1950. The International Labour Organization’s modelled estimate puts agriculture at 1.5% of US employment in 2025. For China, the primary sector’s employment share fell from 83.5% in 1952 to 22.2% in 2024, according to the episode.
The episode also says that, in ILO modelled estimates, services have employed more people worldwide than farming since 2001. It counters the claim that the United States no longer makes goods: factory employment is about 35% below its June 1979 peak, while real manufacturing output in 2025 was about 1.9 times its 1979 level. These figures describe different measures—jobs and output—and do not establish what caused the changes.
AI and the Changing Landscape of Field, Factory, and Office Work
Across generations, employment shifted from farming toward manufacturing and services. This first episode uses that history to frame a question about automation—and keeps its boldest forecast in the realm of thesis, not established fact.
Three sectors describe what work does
The model groups economic activity by its relationship to resources, goods, and services. Boundaries can vary across statisticians and periods; mining is one example that has been classified in different ways.
Primary
Work that takes resources directly from nature.
Farming · fishing · forestrySecondary
Work that makes, builds, and transforms products.
Manufacturing · constructionTertiary
Work that provides services to people and organizations.
Transport · trade · health · educationFrom field to factory to services
The episode uses employment history to show how the mix of work changed. These figures come from different sources and periods, so they are not a single harmonized series.
Farming’s share fell sharply
Cited estimates show a long decline in agriculture’s share of work in the United States and China. The measures and source methods differ, so read each comparison in its own context.
United States · agriculture
Share of the labor force or employment, as cited in the episode
China · primary sector
Share of employment, according to the episode
Services moved ahead
In ILO modelled estimates cited by the episode, services have employed more people worldwide than farming since 2001.
Fewer factory jobs; more real output
The episode challenges the claim that the United States no longer makes goods by putting employment and output side by side. They are different measures and do not, on their own, explain why the changes occurred.
About 35% below peak
Factory employment is about 35% below its June 1979 peak.
About 1.9× 1979
Real US manufacturing output in 2025 was about 1.9 times its 1979 level.
Two different measures
Employment counts jobs; output measures production. These figures do not identify the causes of change.
A framework shaped by economic writers
The episode traces the three-sector model through influential work from the first half of the twentieth century. Their accounts describe historical patterns; they do not guarantee future employment paths.
Allan G. B. Fisher
The New Zealand economist wrote about the framework and added “tertiary” to “primary” and “secondary.” The Clash of Progress and Security was published in 1935.
Colin Clark
The Conditions of Economic Progress compared employment patterns across countries and described movement from agriculture to manufacturing and services.
Jean Fourastié
The French economist argued that services could absorb workers freed by technical progress in industry.
What the episode leaves open
Historical shifts help frame questions about work. They cannot establish what AI will replace, create, or change—or how quickly those effects may happen.
The 90% figure is a thesis
The author suggests automation could become a distinct sector within a decade or a few decades and perform up to 90% of work without a human hand.
The episode does not specify a method, define “work” for this estimate, or provide evidence that validates the figure. It is a proposed future, not a confirmed result.
What is “Work After Work”?
A planned 60-episode daily series from Thorsten Meyer AI about economic sectors, changes in work, and automation. Episode 1 was published November 2, 2026.
What are the three sectors?
Primary takes resources from nature; secondary makes goods; tertiary provides services. Classifications can vary, especially for activities such as mining.
Does the episode prove automation will do 90% of work?
No. The figure is the author’s thesis about a possible future, and the source provides no calculation method.
Questions for the remaining episodes
The opening episode presents a daily series about how economies are built, how work has moved, and which tasks may remain human as machines take on more. The source says episode 48 will examine the automation thesis, but gives no full release calendar or assessment method.
Where will work be?
How might changing job types affect where people find work and which skills they need?
Who gains from productivity?
How will productivity gains be distributed as tasks and industries change?
How will claims be tested?
What definitions and evidence could assess the claim that automation becomes a sector of its own?
Where Employment Has Shifted
The sector framework makes a long-term employment shift easier to see: fewer workers are employed directly in agriculture, while services account for a larger share of jobs. That matters to workers and policymakers because changes in the number and type of jobs raise questions about where people can find work, what skills they need and how gains from productivity are distributed.
The episode sets up automation as the series’ larger question, but the historical figures do not establish what AI will do to employment. The author’s thesis is that automation could become a sector of its own within a decade or a few decades, doing up to 90% of work without a human hand. That is a forecast offered by the author; the source gives no method or evidence to validate that estimate.
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The Three-Sector Model’s Origins
The three-sector model took shape in economic writing during the first half of the 20th century. The episode credits New Zealand economist Allan G. B. Fisher with adding “tertiary” to the familiar terms “primary” and “secondary.” Fisher wrote about the framework in the 1930s; his book The Clash of Progress and Security was published in 1935.
Economist Colin Clark compared employment patterns across countries in The Conditions of Economic Progress (1940). The episode says Clark described movement from agriculture to manufacturing and then to services as a companion to economic progress, while observing that industry’s share of employment could rise and later fall. In 1949, French economist Jean Fourastié argued that services could absorb workers freed by technical progress in industry. These are historical interpretations, not guarantees about future employment.
“Automation could become a sector of its own, doing up to 90% of the work with no human hand.”
— Thorsten Meyer, presenting the series’ thesis
The Scale of Automation’s Effects
The episode does not establish how many jobs AI or other automation will replace, create or change, or how quickly any effects will occur. Its estimate that automation could perform up to 90% of work is presented as a thesis; the source does not specify a measurement method, a definition of “work,” or a timeframe more precise than a decade or a few decades.
The employment figures also come from different sources and periods, including historical estimates, censuses and ILO modelled estimates. The episode does not provide enough detail here to compare their methods directly. Sector boundaries can differ, too, making some cross-country and historical comparisons less straightforward.
Questions for the Remaining Episodes
The first episode is presented as the opening installment in a daily series of 60 episodes about how economies are built, how work has moved and which tasks may remain human as machines take on more. The source says episode 48 will examine the automation thesis. It does not provide a release calendar for the full series or details about what evidence will be used to assess that claim.
Key Questions
What is the “Work After Work” series?
It is a planned 60-episode daily series from Thorsten Meyer AI about economic sectors, changes in work and automation. Its first episode was published on November 2, 2026.
What are the three sectors?
The primary sector takes resources from nature, the secondary sector makes goods, and the tertiary sector provides services. The source notes that classifications can vary, especially for activities such as mining.
What does the episode say about farming employment in the United States?
It cites Lebergott estimates that farming’s share of the US labor force fell from 73.7% in 1800 to 12.0% in 1950, and an ILO modelled estimate of 1.5% of US employment in 2025.
Does the episode show that automation will do 90% of work?
No. The figure is the author’s thesis about a possible future, not a confirmed result. The source does not provide a method for calculating it.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
