Over 365,000 individuals currently unemployed in Sri Lanka – PM
November 26, 2025 11:22 am
A total of 365,951 individuals are currently unemployed in Sri Lanka, according to Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
The Prime Minister made this revelation today (26) in Parliament, in response to a question raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa.
The Prime Minister emphasized that, according to the 2024 Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate for the first quarter of the year decreased from 4.5% in 2024 to 3.8% in 2025.
Furthermore, the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2024, which stood at 4.7%, also declined to 3.8% in 2025.
She further elaborated on the number of unemployed persons based on their educational qualifications:
- Below G.C.E. Ordinary Level (O/L): 103,308 individuals
- G.C.E. Ordinary Level (O/L) passed: 91,405 individuals
- G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) passed: 128,984 individuals
- Degree and Higher Educational Qualifications: 42,254 individuals
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also noted that over 12,000 graduates have already been provided with employment and efforts are underway to provide jobs for the remaining graduates in line with the policy statement.
Regarding teacher appointments, she added that the court cases have concluded, and the recruitment process will commence as soon as the official notification is received from the Court of Appeal.
