Okuzeka
Economics vocabulary · Fiscal Policy and Public Finance

Public sector

Meaning in economics, with examples

nounCore term

In economics, public sector means: The part of the economy owned, funded or run by the state, including government departments, public schools and hospitals, and state-owned companies.

In Turkish: kamu sektörü, kamu kesimi

How it is used

Used with the: the public sector. Typical topics are public sector wages, public sector jobs and the public sector borrowing requirement. General government is a narrower statistical term covering central and local government plus social security funds.

Example sentences

  1. Public sector workers will receive a pay rise in January.

  2. The public sector employs about one in seven workers in the country.

Common collocations

  • public sector wages
  • public sector employment
  • public sector workers
  • public sector borrowing requirement
  • private sectorThe part of the economy made up of businesses and organisations that are owned by individuals or companies rather than by the state.
  • government spendingMoney that the state spends on public services, investment, salaries and social payments such as pensions; a key tool of fiscal policy.
  • budgetA government's plan of how much money it expects to collect and spend over the next year; the word also means the money available for a purpose.
  • privatisationThe sale of state-owned companies or services to private owners, or handing over their management to the private sector.
  • fiscal policyThe government's decisions about taxes and public spending, used to influence demand, growth, jobs and the state of the public finances.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Fiscal Policy and Public Finance

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not financial advice.