This document discusses trends in India's labor force and occupational patterns from 1901 to 2011 based on census data. Some key points: - Agriculture has historically employed the majority of the labor force but this proportion has slowly declined from over 70% in 1901 to around 57% in recent estimates. - The work participation rate has increased from 36.7% in 1981 to 39.2% in 2001 as more of the population joins the labor force. - While the primary sector still employs over half, there is an increasing absorption of labor in non-agriculture secondary and tertiary sectors. - Within agriculture, many farmers have become agricultural laborers as cultivation declines.