A consequence of the basic non-basic distinction in industrial geography is the treatment of the non-basic sector as a form of black box, from which predictable employment change outcomes emerge as a result of changes in demand induced by changes in the basic sector. Implicitly there are assumptions of static and spatially uniform organisation, technology and labour process. This paper argues that important changes in production process, industrial organisation, technology and forms of employment do take place in all service industries just as they do in manufacturing, and that they have spatially variable effects on local labour markets. It applies the production change strategies of Massey and Meegan's Anatomy of Job Loss to the service sector, and shows that with modifications, and the addition of a number of strategies specific to service industries they can contribute significantly to our understanding of change in local labour markets.
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