Half a million vacancies in private sector

The Department of Census and Statistics has found out that there are nearly half a million vacancies in the private sector.

The findings follow the conduct of the first ever establishment and enterprise survey to capture labour demand in the country in 2017.

The data collection was done from a sample of 3,500 establishments and enterprises with more than three persons engaged covering the whole country. 

DCS said the statistics compiled with the data collected through this survey was useful for planning vocational training programs, university programs, etc. in order to make sure that the supply of labour matched demand in the country.Issuing a communiqué upon releasing the Report of the Labour Demand Survey - 2017, DCS Director General Dr. A.J. Satharasinghe stated that around five million people were engaged in employment in the private sector currently and 497,302 vacancies (demand) were reported for various job categories. 

 

The highest number of employees was reported in the Services sector and among the occupation group the highest number of employees was reported in the Service and Sales Workers category in 2017.

The highest demand for labour is reported for Sewing Machine Operators (77,189) followed by security guards (57,008). Among the professional categories, high demand was reported for mechanical engineering technicians, accounting associate professionals and nursing professionals.

Furthermore, this survey reveals that the formal sector intends to hire around 74,000 tailors, dressmakers and hatters and around 70,000 commercial and sales representatives in the next 12 months. 

The establishments and enterprises of both the formal and informal sector reported that they were unable to hire sewing machine operators immediately because of scarcity. According to the employers of the private sector, first-time job seekers with at least a secondary level educational background and vocational training are better prepared for the job than recruits with only the technical and vocational training. The results reveal that teamwork and oral communication skills were the most-needed soft skills for a good career in the private sector. 

Quantifying the labour demand of the country was a challenge and it was a long-felt need for policymaking on matters related to labour demand in the country, the department said. 

The Department of Census and Statistics added that the detailed report has been published on its website www.statistics.gov.lk/Industries.