Which of the following is NOT typically associated with deindustrialization?

• A. Offshoring of manufacturing production.
• B. Automation and rising services.
• C. A large increase in agricultural employment.
• D. Trade liberalization.

Answer: (C)

Deindustrialization involves a shift away from manufacturing toward services, driven by productivity gains in industry, automation, and increased competition from trade and offshoring. As manufacturing becomes more automated or relocates production to lower-cost regions, domestic employment and output in manufacturing tend to fall while service sectors grow.

An increase in agricultural employment does not fit this pattern. In most advanced economies, agriculture already employs a small share of the workforce and tends to be less dynamic than manufacturing and services. A large rise in farming jobs would indicate a different structural change, not the classic move from manufacturing to services that characterizes deindustrialization. Therefore this option is not typically associated with deindustrialization, while the others describe common mechanisms and consequences of that process.