Govt. issued 21,800 appointment letters to unemployed graduates in a year: PM

• Says Govt. working to give employment to internal and external graduates  
• Says private sector finding it difficult to fill vacancies 
• Opposition accuses Govt. of recruiting extra graduates for political reasons
• Says private sector makes greater contribution to economy although job seekers want public sector jobs 
• Calls on Govt. to create growth environment for all sectors to thrive

In an attempt to resolve the unemployed graduate problem, the Government has issued 21,800 appointment letters between August 2018 and July 2019, in two phases, in order to recruit 54,825 degree holders without a job.

According to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, priority will be given to internal graduates, and based on their responses, the external graduates will also be provided public sector employment before the end of this year. 

“Only 3,200 accepted the appointments, out of 5,000 appointments given on 20 August last year. It will take another week or two to find out the number of graduates that have accepted appointments from 16,800 appointments given in June and July this year,” he said.

In providing these appointments, the Government has given preference to graduates that were internal students of State universities before the end of 31 December 2016, followed by the external students of State universities who received their degree before 31 December 2011.

“The issue with external graduates is that they follow their degrees while being employed elsewhere. Most of the time, they are not satisfied with the employment we offer after graduation. So, they continue with their existing employment. This led us to employ the internal graduates first before considering the external graduates. There are vacancies in the country for graduates to find jobs outside the public sector,” he added.

Responding to a supplementary question, the Prime Minister held that the private sector finds it difficult to find the right kind of employees. “The private sector told me they have vacancies, but find it difficult to fill them. One reason is that some graduates in the rural areas prefer to stay where they are, rather than coming into the city, without a comparatively better opportunity. We can’t blame them. The tourism industry was hit recently, and this resulted in lost income for many people, but we believe things will fall into place by December,” he added.

However, United People’s Freedom Alliance MP Mahinda Amaraweera, who was on his feet, cautioned the problematic nature of all flocking to the public sector.  

“We have seen you filling up all vacancies and also creating new positions to provide employment. You are recruiting more than the required numbers for political reasons. We are not against providing employment. But this has created a lesser appeal for people to take up private sector employment. The private sector pays more tax, and some are unable to sustain their operations. We request you to increase the production economy, so that the private sector can grow. Even in this Budget, we saw a considerable shortage in the amount of money allocated for animal husbandry, agriculture, and fisheries, which provide employment to many people. So, these sectors find it difficult to create new opportunities that people can fill, without resorting to public sector jobs,” said MP Amaraweera. (AH)