Sri Lanka: Employment
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
The most recent value is 7.9 million employed people as of Q1 2024, an increase compared to the previous value of 7.82 million employed people. Historically, the average for Sri Lanka from Q1 2019 to Q1 2024 is 8.08 million employed people. The minimum of 7.82 million employed people was recorded in Q4 2023, while the maximum of 8.39 million employed people was reached in Q1 2022.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
- Measure: million employed people
- Definition: The number of people, in millions, engaged in the economy as paid employees or as self-employed.
- Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka
| Recent values | Sri Lanka: Employment, million people |
|---|---|
| 2024 Q1 | 7.9 |
| 2023 Q4 | 7.82 |
| 2023 Q3 | 8.01 |
| 2023 Q2 | 8.01 |
| 2023 Q1 | 8.2 |
| 2022 Q4 | 8.02 |
| 2022 Q3 | 8.01 |
| 2022 Q2 | 8.18 |
Download data from our database Other resources: All indicators for Sri Lanka All indicators on the website Article: Are trade deficits bad for the economy? Article: Sources of economic growth Article: Currency values and investment returns All articles
| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor force | 8.26 | 2025 | million people |
| Unemployment rate | 4.01 | 2025 | percent |
| Female unemployment | 6.48 | 2025 | percent |
| Male unemployment | 2.76 | 2025 | percent |
| Youth unemployment | 18.58 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force participation | 48.52 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force: percent female | 33.44 | 2025 | percent |
| Female labor force participation | 30.99 | 2025 | percent |
| Male labor force participation | 67.77 | 2025 | percent |
| Self-employment | 42.07 | 2025 | percent |
| Employment | 7.90 | Q1/2024 | million employed people |
| Unemployment rate | 4.00 | Q2/2026 | percent |