According to population census 1981, the labour force is defined as those working and looking for work. The population may be divided into six classes by occupations: land owners, cultivators, flock owners, traders, labourers and artisans. The land owners are mostly Kakars, Kasis, Mashwanis, Durranis and Shahwanis. Most of them cultivate their land themselves or employ tenants and Bazgars. During recent years people have employed Afghan refugees as tenants. Flock owners are the inhabitants, refugees and nomads; Kakars, Tareens, and Syeds are normally engaged in trade and commerce.

In the absence of fresh district data on the labour force, it is not possible to provide time series pertaining to gender specific employment. However, there is some fragmentary evidence and the population census 1981 also provides some information in this regard: The labour force constitutes 22.7% of the total population (male 39.2%; female 1.8%). In urban areas, these rates for both sexes combined, male and female were 21.6%, 37.0% and 2.1% respectively. In rural areas these rates for both sexes, male and female were 25.8 (total), 46.3 (m) and 0.7 (f) percent respectively.

The major occupation group was "production and related workers, transport equipment operation and labourers" which constituted 32.7%, of the total labour force. The major economic activity in the district was community, social and personal services, which absorbed 28.3 percent of the working population. It includes civilian government services. This activity was followed by "Wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels", which absorbed 23.7 percent of the working population.

Information collected from different government departments by IMPLAN/ WID team in June, 1997.

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