Labor Force Participation Gaps in Sri Lanka, Gender Disparities, Youth Unemployment, and Sectoral Shifts

This study examines the evolution of Sri Lanka’s labor market over the critical decade spanning 2014-2024, analyzing data from the Annual Labour Force Survey to identify structural transformations, persistent inequalities, and emerging challenges. Using a decade-long longitudinal analysis, the research investigates trends in labor force participation rates, unemployment patterns disaggregated by gender and age, sectoral employment distribution, and working hour dynamics. The findings reveal four major interconnected trends that define Sri Lanka’s contemporary labor market landscape. First, the Labor Force Participation Rate experienced a sustained decline from 53.2% in 2014 to 47.4% in 2024, with particularly pronounced drops among women (34.6% to 29.8%), indicating substantial withdrawal of productive human capital from the economy.