This paper is focused on the changes in the size of the rural workforce in Tamil Nadu in the pre-and post-reform periods. The paper finds a substantial slowdown in employment growth in the rural non-farm sector in the postreform period compared to pre-reform period. Though the share of agriculture in the economy has declined during the planned development of the state, it still assumes a pivotal role in the rural economy since two-third of the rural work force is dependent on it.