While collecting data on economically active population, it is absolutely essential to adopt specific time reference period. The United Nations has recommended that this reference period should not be longer than one week.
In countries where agricultural work predominates, or this is seasonality in employment for instance, Indian farmers do work throughout the year the size and characteristics of labour force may vary quite widely, according to the season of two year.
For this reasons, in countries were there is a highly season pattern of employment, supplementary information on the “usually economic characteristics over a longer period may also be collect.
For the 1971 census of India, the reference period of work in c of regular employment in trade, profession, service or business w one week prior to the date of enumeration.
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For those engaged seasonal work, such as cultivation, live-stock keeping, plantation work, household industry, etc., the reference period was the working season prior to the date of enumeration.
If a person regularly put in work for at least half the normal number of during the major portion of the working season, he or she treated as a worker.
In the 1981 census of India, information collected from each person regarding whether he/she had “work any time at all last year” and if yes, whether he/she had worked “major part of last year.” 10
Similarly in the 1991 census of India, the information collected from each person regarding whether he/she had, “work any time at all last year,” and if yes, did he/she worked for “nr part of the last year.”