Abstract

The goal of this study was to analyze the changes that have taken place in the economic sectors in the system of cities between 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2017, alongside understanding the evolution and functional trajectory of employment in the Ñuble Region. The research approach is quantitative and applies a correlational design. The database was extracted from the 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2017 censuses of the National Institute of Statistics (INE, in Spanish) using the REDATAM program. Then, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using R software, shown through tables, graphs, and cartographies. The results indicate a trend that diversifies the region’s economic branches, evolving from agriculture toward commerce, services, education, and construction. The specialization indexes show a trajectory towards the homogenization of tertiary sectors and that, in a small number of communes, the primary sector represents a relevant part of local activity. In addition, from the decrease in agricultural and industrial employment, it can be concluded that the different communes of the region have a primary and tertiary vocation, recognizing a co-evolution between the different economic branches.