Employment promotion in Sri Lanka and the Maldives

A trainee with a NVQ certificate ©ILO/Asitha Seneviratne
Creation of sustainable, inclusive and decent employment is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the decent work agenda.

Formalising the informal economy; creating a workforce inclusive of women, youth and person with disabilities with skills and certification; and enhancing the productivity and competitiveness and disaster resilience of micro, small and medium enterprises are required.

Enterprise promotion and human resource development are key elements in employment promotion. The ILO conducts employment analysis and research, promotes employment-intensive investment and helps formulate employment policy. It also promotes skills development, job creation, youth employment, enterprise development and cooperatives.

Employment promotion: at the centre of ILO’s work in Sri Lanka
Sustainable, inclusive and decent employment creation features prominently in the Decent Work Country Programme Sri Lanka 2018-2022 . The ILO with its constituents in Sri Lanka has identified the following two priority outcomes:
  • Sri Lankan workforce with more and better employment opportunities
  • National strategyto respond to technological advancements and the impact of climate change in the world of work
Better access to productive employment is the only sustainable way out of poverty and out of crisis, and is critical to the achievement of Sri Lanka’s national development policy framework.

The ILO’s programme to support access to sustainable, inclusive and decent employment thereby reducing poverty and barriers to women, youth and persons with disabilities include the following outputs:
  • Recognition of skills and prior learning, career guidance and other employment services, including for informal economy workers;
  • Enhancing climate resilience of MSMEs through business continuity planning, climate-linked insurance products, etc.;
  • Support for implementation of the Youth Employment Action Plan 2017-2021;
  • Skills of the existing workforce enhanced to match labour market demands while improving access to decent jobs;
  • A roadmap and operational strategy to respond to technological advancements and climate change to prepare the future workforce for the future world of work