^ socuL^iE^rtiit only 8 per cent of the total 'usual status' work force. 2. Changes in the labour force Sioceits 14th round (1958-59), the NSS has been collecting employment-unemployment data on a 'current week" definition. Earlier rounds had alternated between 'current day' and 'usual status' and since the 27th rouod (1972-73), data are available on all three bases. Moreover, NSS concepts and definitions although gradually refined, have maintained a consistency over rounds which makes comparisons over time less hazardous than those using the obvious alternatives source of labour force data, the decennial census. The NSS "weekly status" data thus provide a more or less comparable den's of key labour force characteristics from 1960-61 to 1983-84* These are presented in table 1. Further, in table 2 are given the rates Tab! el LABOUR FORCE Ct IARACI •ERISTIC ;S : NSS 1 WEEKL ,Y ACTI VITY S1 FATUS 1959- 1960- 1961- 1964- 1966' 1972' 1977- 1983 60 61 62 65 67 73 78 (a) Crude Worker rates (per cent of population) Rural males 56.9 54.2 50.3 51.6 52.9 52.5 52.0 51.1 Rural females 21.6 25.9 20.3 24.7 27.3 26.0 23.2 22.7 Urban males 49.7 51.0 49.4 49.9 49.8 49.5 49.1 49.2 Urban females 11.6 13.3 10.5 12.4 10.7 12.2 12.5 11.8 (b) Employees as per cent of workers Rural males 28.1 30.7 31.6 27.3 28.5 32.2 35.3 35.9 Rural females 27.0 29.5 29.8 28.2 30.7 36.3 28.8 37.4 Urban males 58.8 60.2 59.4 60.6 59.6 59.6 (52.9) (53.0) Urban females 44.2 47.6 47.8 56.5 54.7 60.8 (c) Workers in agricultui re as per cent of all workers Rural males 78.7 80.3 78.4 78.5 77.9 80.9 78.0 75.6 Rural females 82.2 86.3 82.5 83.2 85.0 85.8 83.7 78.5 Urban males 13.6 10.0 2.8 9.4 9.7 9.0 (16.6) (16.5) Urban females 25.6 26.2 28.3 22.6 22.7 22.7