the poorer the country, the larger the percentage of labour force engaged in?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which sector employs the largest share of workers in poorer (developing) countries.

Step 2: The concept Economies are often grouped into three sectors:

• Primary sector: agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining
• Secondary sector: manufacturing and construction
• Tertiary sector: trade, banking, transport, and other services

A country's stage of development shows in how its labour force is spread across these sectors. This pattern is sometimes called the Clark-Fisher thesis.

• Poor countries: most people work in agriculture, mostly subsistence farming. Capital, technology, and industrial skills are scarce, and farming needs little of them.
• Middle-income countries: labour moves into manufacturing as industries grow.
• Rich countries: most people work in services, and agriculture employs only a small share because mechanisation makes farms very productive.

Step 3: Test the options

• A. Agriculture: In poor countries, including Nigeria and many other West African countries, a large share of the labour force farms. This fits.
• B. Mining: It employs few people because it is capital-intensive and limited to particular locations.
• C. Trading: Trade is important, but it usually takes a bigger share as an economy develops and services expand.
• D. Manufacturing: It needs capital and technology, so it employs a larger share in more developed economies.

Step 4: Answer The poorer the country, the larger the percentage of its labour force engaged in agriculture.

Exam tip: Remember the pattern "Poor = Primary (farming), Rich = Services." As a country develops, the share of workers in agriculture falls and the share in manufacturing and services rises.