This paper aims to analyse the role of labour demand in the spatial organisation of industry since the “Proto-Industrialisation”. After presenting the spatial dimension of the labour demand, we propose different periods of the spatial evolution of industry. The first phase of the industrialisation process is characterised by a dispersion in rural areas where production units benefit from low costs and flexibility of labour force. In the second period, industrial activities first favour the urbanisation of small towns in order to stabilise the labour supply outside large old cities. Then, the development of technology prompts industry to locate in these historic cities because of thick;and diversified urban labour markets. Finally, the third phase is specified by a spread of industry from city to suburbs and, then, rural areas where the organisation of labour markets is dissociated from urban labour markets.