Earlier research studies on trends and other issues related to labour force were mainly focussed on national and state level and not at regional, which is vital for micro planning at a regional for policy matters.

The working population comprises four categories: cultivators (C.L.), agricultural labourers (A.L.), household industry workers (H.H.) and other workers (O.W.). The Work Participation Rate (WPR), which is defined as the percentage of total workers to the total population. In India, only 35.7 percent of the total population was economically active in 1981 which has increased to 39.8 percent in 2011.

Table 1 reveals that nearly half of the population (45.8 percent) in rayayalaseema region was participating in the labour force. The rate of increase in labour force was very marginal during 1991-2011. This marginal rise in the overall work participation rate is, in fact, entirely due to increase in marginal workers’ work participation rate. Among the districts of the region, lower work force participation rate recorded in Chittoor and Kadapa districts than the regional average. The growth in total workers can be attributed to raise in literacy level, thereby, increase in the more number of persons in the labour force.

Growth of labour was marginal because, labour force or workforce cannot grow more than the rate at which population grow. Also the rate of growth in labour force depends on the change in the participation rate. On the other hand, in the context of increasing demand for education, a considerable proportion of the younger age population is either withdrawing from labourforce or postpone their entry into laborious in order to attend an educational institution and pursuing higher studies. Research studies based on National Sample Survey Organisation data, have already expounded on this fact (Chaudhary, 2011; Kannan and Ravidran, 2012). Such an increase in demand for education increases the human capital base of the country and hence it is considered as a welcome feature (Planning Commission, 2011).

Main workers were those who had worked for the major part of the year preceding the date of enumeration i.e., those who were engaged in any economically productive activity for 183 days (or six months) or more during the year. In India, the main workers had been declined 32.5 percent in 1981 to 29.9 in 2011 census.

Table 2 shows that in the region, main workers had declined from 43.1 percent in 1991 to39.7 percent in 2001 and recorded as 40.7 percent in 2011. Among the districts, percent of main workers were below in Chittoor and Kadapa districts than the regional average during 1991-2001. Moreover, main works in Anantapur district had almost to that of regional average, while highest main workers were recorded in Kurnool district. The main workers had declined significantly in 2011 as compared to 1991 census.

Those who worked any time at all in the year preceding the enumeration, but did not work for a major part of the year, i.e., those who worked for less than 183 days (or six months) in a year) were termed as marginal workers. It had been increased in India from 3.2 percent in 1981 to 9.9 in 2011.

Table 3 reveals that, contrary to main workers, the marginal workers were more than doubled in the region during 1991-2001. Among the districts, the marginal workers were lower than the regional average in only Kurnool district in 1991 as compared Chittoor and Kurnool in 2001 and 2011 census. The Marginal works were continually increased in Anantapur district in three decades (1991-2011). The increase in literacy with skills may causes part-time employment for individuals especially females.

Around 7.5 million farmers of main worker category during 1991-2001 and another 7.4 million during 2001-11, together 14.9 million farmers of main worker category are moved away from farming during the two decades (1991-2011). When there was a decline in main workers involved in self-cultivation during 1991-2001, around 10.4 million workers newly entered into farming as marginal workers during the same period. Therefore, there was a net addition of 2.9 million workers into farming activity during 1991-2001 thereby increase in marginal workers.

A person was considered working as a cultivator if he or she was engaged either as an employer, single worker or family worker in the cultivation of land owned or held from Government or from private persons or institution for payment in money, or in kind or on the basis of sharing of crops. Cultivation also included supervision or direction of cultivation. In India, the number of cultivators was marginally increased from 102.8 million in 1981 to 118.7 million in 2011 census.  

Table 4 reveals that the percent cultivators to total population had been significantly declining in the region during 1991-2011. It was only 13.9 percent in 1991 and come down to 9.0 percent. Among the region of the districts, percent cultivators to total population were lower in Kadapa and Kadapa districts than the regional average. Cultivators are decreasing and such decline in agriculture is replaced by an increase in agricultural labourers. The main worker category (7.4 million) farmers of marginal worker category (1.5 million) also moved away from farming activity. Thus, there is a total decline of 8.9 million farmers during 2001-11 (Venkatanarayana.M and Suresh Naik.V (2013, p.10).There has been a definite marginalization of agrarian interest in the national policy and reforms are certainly needed.

A cultivator was distinguished from a "cultivating labourer" as a person who took the "responsible decisions which constitute the direction of the processes of cultivation", while a person who worked on another person’s land for wages in money, kind or share of the crop was regarded as an ‘agricultural labourer’. In India, the number of agriculture labour drastically increased from 64.4 million in 1981 to 144.3 million in 2011 census.

Table 5 reveals that the percent of agriculture labour to total population was same in 1991 and 2001, while it significantly increased in 2011 census. In 1991 census, agricultural labours were above the regional average all the districts. In 2001, Anantapur, Chittoor and Kadapa districts had recorded a lower rate than regional average, while in 2011, Chittoor and Kadapa districts had lower agricultural labours than the regional average. In all the districts of the region, agricultural labours were increased significantly in 2011 than the 1991 census.

The decade of 2001-1 has seen a decline in the number of cultivators and high increase in the number of agricultural labourers. Most of those farmers who are moving away from farming are becoming agricultural labourers. On the other hand, although a part of the net addition to the total workforce is absorbed in agriculture, but the whole of that laborious absorbed in agriculture is in turn entirely absorbed in the agricultural labourer’s category. This is disturbing the development for India. For the first time since independence, agricultural labourers have outnumbered cultivators. There are many reasons for this development, such as decreasing average size of operational holdings, farming becoming infeasible, increasing agricultural wages, rampant selling of agricultural land and shift of employment from the agricultural to non-agricultural sector. The decade of 2001-11 also witnessed three drought years may another reason.