Explain the occupational structure during the …

What is Occupational Structure?

The occupational structure of a nation refers to the percentage of its workforce employed in various economic ventures. To put it in other words, articulating how many of the total working population are employed in agriculture and associated activities and how many of them are involved in manufacturing and service sector can be identified from the occupational structure of the nation.

Occupational Structure in Colonial India

During the colonial period, the occupational structure of India, i.e., the allocation of working people across various industries and sectors, explicated small hint of change. The agricultural sector valued for the highest share of the workforce, which normally prevailed at a high of 70 – 75 % while the manufacturing and the services sectors estimated for only 10 and 15-20 % sequentially. Another outstanding perspective was the growing geographical variation. Parts of the then Madras Presidency (including areas of the present-day states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka), Bombay and Bengal observed a drop in the dependence of the workforce on the agricultural sector with a corresponding increase in the production and the services sectors. However, there was an increase in the share of the workforce in agriculture during the same time in states such as Rajasthan, Odhisa and Punjab.