A block has 2,000 workers: 1,100 are self-employed, 500 are regular salaried employees and 400 are casual wage labourers. What percentage of the block’s workers are hired workers?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → 45 per cent
Hired workers work for others. They are the regular salaried employees and the casual wage labourers together.
Given:
All workers = 2,000
Regular salaried employees = 500
Casual wage labourers = 400
\( \text{Hired workers} = 500 + 400 = 900 \)
\( \displaystyle \text{Share} = \frac{900}{2{,}000} \times 100 = 45 \text{ per cent} \)
Option (2) 55 per cent — Incorrect. This is the self-employed share. They own and operate their own enterprise, so they are not hired.
Option (3) 25 per cent — Incorrect. It counts only regular salaried employees and leaves out casual wage labourers, who are hired too.
Option (4) 20 per cent — Incorrect. It counts only casual wage labourers and leaves out regular salaried employees.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.4 Self-employed and Hired Workers … Workers who own and operate an enterprise to earn their livelihood are known as self-employed. Thus the cement shop owner is self-employed. About 58 per cent workforce in India belongs to this category. The construction workers are known as casual wage labourers; they account for about 20 per cent of India’s workforce. Such labourers are casually engaged in others’ farms and, in return, get a remuneration for the work done. Workers like the civil engineer working in the construction company account for 22 per cent of India’s workforce. When a worker is engaged by someone or an enterprise and paid his or her wages on a regular basis, they are known as regular salaried employees (see table 6.3).” “6.7 Informalisation of Indian Workforce In the previous section we have found that the proportion of hired work jobs - working for others has been increasing. …” |