Main worker
Topic: Population of India: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 1 "Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition"
Meaning
A main worker is a Census term for a person who worked for at least 183 days (about six months) in the reference year. Main workers and marginal workers together make up the workforce. Everyone else is a non-worker. In Census 2011, only 39.8% of Indians were workers of any kind. This shows a large number of dependants and hidden unemployment.
Example
A farmer in Punjab who grows and sells crops through most of the year is a main worker. So is a factory worker in Pune who works all year.
Don't confuse with
- Marginal worker: a person who worked for less than 183 days in the reference year, often in seasonal farm work.
- Work participation rate: this is all workers (main plus marginal) as a percentage of the total population, not a type of worker.