In more industrialized societies, the agricultural industry tends to be more automated, with heavier reliance on machines and equipment than on human labor.

Also, in a poorer country, subsistence farming is a more legitimate alternative to low-wage labor than in a wealthier nation. Very few people in developed countries opt to pursue subsistence farming for economic reasons, though some do for cultural or social reasons.

Another factor in higher agricultural sector employment is the availability of cheap labor. Farm work is usually seasonal, with short periods of intense labor and long periods of waiting. It is easier and more economically sensible to find and use cheap, short-term labor in a poor country with low wages and high unemployment than in an industrialized nation with more plentiful employment alternatives.