# Separation of Trades

## Definition

The process by which distinct occupations emerge as separate specialisations,
each performed by dedicated practitioners rather than by a single person who
performs all tasks. Smith presents the separation of trades as both a
consequence and an indicator of the division of labour, noting that it
advances furthest in the most industrious and improved countries.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 1: "Of the Division of Labour"

## Context

Smith transitions from the pin-factory example to the economy-wide observation
that in improved societies, "the farmer is generally nothing but a farmer; the
manufacturer, nothing but a manufacturer." He contrasts manufacturing, where
trades separate extensively, with agriculture, where seasonal demands prevent
full separation.

## Economic Domain

Production

## Smith's Original Wording

"The separation of different trades and employments from one another, seems to
have taken place in consequence of this advantage."