Fair recruitment

Workforce and migration patterns of Sri Lanka’s tourism industry: Implications for growth of the sector

This report considers factors that drive workers from the Sri Lankan tourism industry to migrate overseas; seeks to understand the impact of labour turnover on the local industry; and identify the recruitment channels workers use to secure labour market opportunities overseas.

Many skilled workers from the tourism industry migrate overseas in search of better opportunities. Correspondingly, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has been beset by labour shortages even as it has been singled out as a key growth sector and contributor to the national economy. This intersection of overseas migration of skilled workers and labour shortages in the local tourism sector has not been sufficiently researched. This report attempts to address this gap by: considering factors that drive workers from the Sri Lankan tourism industry to migrate overseas; understanding the impact of labour turnover on the local industry and identifying the recruitment channels workers use to secure labour market opportunities overseas.