Labour Agriculture in India–Some Issues

Abstract

In a developing economy the change in the pattern of employment indicated by a fall in the number at agricultural labourers and labour households should be welcome unless the erstwhile agricultural labourers shifted to less productive jobs or were renderedunemployed. Itis possible that among agricultural labourers those who were comparatively better off readily took the opportunity toshift to better occupations. But the supply of agricultural labour being still far in excess of demand, the wage rate failed to rise as a result of the reduction in the total number of agricultural labourers, Further, increase in the number (and proportion) of child labourers, the decrease in the extent of self-employment and the comparatively higher net income of the non-landholding households all this may be construed to confirmthe assumption that the comparatively better off among agricultural labourers have shifted to other occupations.