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PEOPLE Eternal India
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OCCUPATIONAL PATTERN
The 1991 census data relating to employment distributes
workers into nine categories :
i) Cultivators
ii) Agricultural labourers
Livestock, forestry, fishing, hunting and plantations, or-
chards and allied activities.
Mining and quarrying
Manufacturing, processing, servicing and repairs; a) house-
hold industry and; b) in other than household industry.
Construction
iii)
iv)
v)
Vi)
vii) Trade and commerce
viii) Transport, storage and communications and
ix) Other services.
Since no census was conducted in Jammu and Kashmir in
1991 and no census was conducted in Assam in 1981 both these
states have been excluded in the India figures for 1981 and 1991.
The statement below shows the number of total workers, main
workers, marginal workers and non-workers as percentage of total
population in 1981 and 1991 in India excluding Assam and Jammu and
Kashmir.
Total Workers, Main Workers, Marginal Workers, and Non-Workers as percentage of Total Population, 2013.
4.90 5.20 9.40 4.90 percent
29650.00 28999.00 29650.00 17491.00 Thousand
44.79 40.17 44.79 5.10 Million
1238.89 1223.58 1238.89 359.00 Million
60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00
60.00 60.00 60.00 60.00
52.50 50.90 52.90 50.90 percent
4.83 5.07 5.47 3.12 INR
6.25 6.55 6.97 3.92 INR
12.90 18.10 18.10 12.90 percent
It can be seen from the table that the proportion of total
workers, main workers and marginal workers as percentage of total
population (Work Participation Rate - WPR) has increased in 1991
compared to 1981, both in urban and rural areas. Consequently, the
percentage of non-workers has declined. During the decade 1981-
91 the percentage of female workers, both main and marginal, has
increased in urban and rural areas. In contrast, the corresponding
percentages for main and marginal male workers have declined in
rural areas. In urban areas while the proportion of male main
workers has increased slightly in 1991 over that of 1981, the
percentage of marginal workers has declined. As a matter of fact,
the total work participation rate for males in urban areas has
slightly declined.
However the increase in the female work participation rate in
1991 is to be viewed in the light of the special efforts made to
enumerate the large number of those working as unpaid workers on
farm and family enterprises. Most of these workers happen to be
women. The enumerators were specially trained on the need to
probe into the economic activities being carried out by females. The
increase in the female work participation rate in 1991 is to be
viewed in the light of the above efforts.
The statement below shows the number of main workers during
1981 and 1991 by industrial categories. It may be recalled that both
in the 1981 and the 1991 Censuses, essentially the same concepts
of “work” and “worker” have been followed. However, in the