This paper tries to assess the extent and importance of off-farm activities in income and employment of the rural people. On the basis of information collected from a relatively developed Bangladeshi village, the paper shows that off-farm activities constitute a primary source of employment and income of about one-quarter of all households and about one-third of the labour force in the area under study. Male workers were seen to spend a higher proportion of their time on off-farm activities than agricultural activities, while for female workers off-farm activities accounted for only about one-fifth of their total working time. But, both males and females belonging to the landless households spent a higher proportion of their working time on off-farm activities than agricultural activities. Since off-farm activities are seen to be more prevalent during the agricultural slack season these can be expected to contribute to a more equitable income distribution. Based on the findings of the study the paper concludes that for a country like Bangladesh with acute unemployment and underemployment, increased efforts should be made to create off-farm employment opportunities in the rural areas for the landless and near-landless people to check increasing rural-urban migration, ensure a more balanced rural development and to positively influence the welfare of the rural population.