Occupational Structure

Introduction

Occupational structure refers to the framework of different occupations that build up the economy of a nation. Usually, in an economy, people are engaged in various professions in different proportions. All these professions make up the occupational structure of an economy.

The occupational structure of different nations varies greatly in terms of professions. While developing nations like India have a considerable population engaged in agriculture, the share of technology and research is prevalent greatly in richer countries like the United States of America.

Learning about the occupational structure of a country is important for various reasons. It shows whether the country is engaged in profitable professions or not. The occupational structure also shows whether the country’s population is balanced in terms of professions. Finally, a balanced occupational structure means that the country’s economic health is up to the required mark in general.

Occupation: Meaning and Types

Occupation means the work an individual engages in to earn his bread and butter. In other words, people earn their living by engaging in professions or occupations. There are both ancient and traditional occupations while with the expansion of technology newer occupations are being generated at an exponential rate. By getting involved in any such profession, individuals contribute to the larger picture of the occupational structure of an economy.

There are three predominant sectors or types of occupations in which people may get involved. These are the following −

• Primary sector − This sector consists of most ancient professions such as agriculture, animal husbandry, or construction. Most of these occupations run from one generation to the next and require the simplest of skills because they do not involve technology. However, nowadays, people are using for this sector to get better returns and ease of completing the work involved.

• Secondary sector − This sector includes the professions in manufacturing and services industries. These are the next step of primary professions and hence they are often related to primary sectors.

• Tertiary sector − Communication, transport, administration, and all other remaining professions fall under this category. This sector usually requires skills to perform the work involved and hence is the most advanced in terms of professional development.

Occupational Structure of India during Colonial Rule

The occupational structure of colonial India was completely different from the present- day structure of India. The rulers of India were more interested in tapping the unexplored wealth and they did not think of improving the occupational structure of India.

India was predominantly an agriculture-based nation during colonial rule as about 75 percent of the Indian population was engaged in the agriculture industry. The remaining 25 percent were engaged in the manufacturing and services industry.

There was a shift from the traditional agriculture-based occupational structure in states like Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The population of these states shifted focus to the manufacturing and services sectors while states like Punjab and Odisha (the then Orissa) focused mainly on agriculture.

Occupational Structure during British Raj

Prevalence of the Agricultural sector

• Agriculture was the most active profession as it employed nearly 75 percent of the population of India.

• As agriculture was the dominant profession, other professions did not see any upheaval; so the Indian economy could not reach its required potential. The rulers of India were more interested in earning revenues by keeping the country underprivileged. So, the occupational structure of India never improved during the British Raj.

• The occupational structure was largely unbalanced. As the primary sector dominated the economy, the secondary and tertiary sectors could never contribute much to the economy.

Growth of regional Disparities

• In states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Bengal, people moved away from the agriculture industry and shifted toward the manufacturing and services industries. This was the trend observed in the last phase of the British Raj which started to balance the totally imbalanced economic structure of India.

• States like Punjab, Rajasthan, and Orissa remained focused on agriculture and they still are agriculture-oriented economies.

• The entire process of distribution of the workload helped India gain momentum in terms of economic occupational structure to get a balance.

Occupational Structure of Post-Independence India

The big picture of the Indian economy started to change greatly after the country achieved independence in 1947.

• The Indian government started to align more of the primary workforce to secondary and tertiary sectors. This started to balance the occupational structure more actively than what was the case in the pre-independence period.

• Due to various government initiatives to get the economy rolling more speedily, the occupations in India started to grow. This was accelerated more by the industrialization initiatives of the government. People now started to start industries instead of getting attached to just agriculture. This not only brought more revenue but also created new jobs that employed millions of people. Suddenly, the big picture of the Indian economy started to change quicker than ever before.

• After the period of stagnation till the 1980s, India saw a significant boom as the country was liberalized by the government. Foreign companies could now operate in India without having to pay a fortune. This helped Indian companies to harness more advanced technologies as they also grew in terms of revenue.

• The boom in Information Technology established India on the world map much more confidently than ever before. India not only became the hub of IT but many great, world-class organizations were also established by Indian entrepreneurs. In a nutshell, India’s progress has been growing smoothly in the post- independence period due to government initiatives and the entrepreneurial mindsets of Indians.

• In the 1990s, India saw its agriculture-based economy being overtaken by the service industry which was a great turning point for the country. Now, India is on the path of becoming a world leader in economic terms thanks to the ever- increasing growth of the country’s economy.

Conclusion

As discussed above, the occupational structure shows the strength of the framework of an economy. India’s economic reliability has been greatly influenced by occupational structure. It saw many changes in occupational structure while moving in the path of growth of the economy. The good news is that most of this story has acted in India’s favor and the country is making constant progress in achieving a uniform occupational structure.

FAQs

Qns 1. What is meant by occupational structure?

Ans. Occupational structure refers to the framework of different occupations that build up the economy of a nation. Usually, in an economy, people are engaged in various professions in different proportions. All these professions make up the occupational structure of an economy.

Qns 2. What are the three types of occupations?

Ans. The three types of occupations are primary (related to agriculture, animal husbandry, and construction), secondary (related to manufacturing and services), and tertiary (related to communication, technology, etc.)

Qns 3. Which type of occupation is most advanced in terms of skills?

Ans. In terms of skills required, the tertiary occupation is the most advanced.