Reading the Survey: Work in Three Nagaon Villages
In a field study, a class surveyed 600 households in three villages of Nagaon district, Assam. The villages differ: one lies on the highway, one is flood-prone, and one is 9 km from the highway. The main-worker data are shown below.
| Indicator | 2011 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Main workers in agriculture | 64% | 41% |
| Main workers in construction | 9% | 22% |
| Main workers in transport and trade | 7% | 12% |
| Main workers in services | 20% | 25% |
| Women among main workers | 18% | 27% |
| Households with a seasonal migrant | 11% | 29% |
| Average days of employment per year | 214 | 168 |
The students also found that 78% of construction workers have no written contract, 62% of migrants go to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the villages have one high school, and 41% of workers aged 15–24 have completed class X. A newspaper report used the table to claim that the villages had 'moved into the service sector'.
1. Interpret the occupational change. Is it a shift to the tertiary sector or something else?
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Not a simple shift to services. The largest absolute gain is in construction, which is secondary, not tertiary: 9% to 22% (+13 points). Services rose only 20% to 25% (+5). Agriculture fell 64% to 41% (−23). So the correct description is distress diversification into informal construction, not a service-sector transition.
Evidence for distress: average employment days fell from 214 to 168; 78% of construction workers have no written contract; seasonal migration rose from 11% to 29%. People are not moving to higher-productivity jobs; they are filling the gaps left by shrinking agricultural work.
Gender: women's share of main workers rose from 18% to 27%, but this may reflect low-paid piece work rather than empowerment; the survey does not record wages, so we cannot tell.
Caution: 'main worker' is defined by more than six months' work, so a worker who does construction for four months and farm work for three may be misclassified.
2. Identify two limitations of the survey data and explain how you would correct them.
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Limitations:
- Migration and absence bias: households with a seasonal migrant may be absent or under-reported. If 29% have a migrant, the survey may miss the most dynamic or most distressed households. Correct by listing absent members and interviewing them by phone.
- Recall and definition bias: respondents may report 'construction' for any casual manual work; 'main worker' hides multiple activities. Correct with a time-use diary for a subsample and an explicit question on secondary occupations.
- Small sample and village selection: 600 households in three villages cannot represent Nagaon district. Correct by stratifying villages by distance from the highway and by flood exposure.
Follow-up: a wage and contract module, plus a repeat survey after one agricultural year, would test whether construction is absorbing labour productively or merely parking it.