Rural Non-Agricultural Employment in Karnataka : Emerging Issues and Evidences

There has been a moderate shift of workers away from agriculture in favour of rural non-agricultural employment (RNAE) with varying degrees across gender, activities and zones in the State. The shifting of male and female workers towards RNAE was determined by several factors categorised into the agricultural growth-induced factors, distressinduced factors, human capital formation and degree of urbanisation. The results of correlation matrix suggest that the expansion of male RNAE was determined by the agricultural growth-induced factors and that of female RNAE was determined by the distress/poverty-induced factors. The expansion of RNAE might be due to some distressinduced factors, but it was not necessarily in residual sector. Although it was a multivariate phenomenon, the rate of literacy has emerged as an important factor in promotion of male as well as female RNAE in the State.