Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Sunday Dec 15, 2024
Thursday, 2 March 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
To address the urgent issue of labour shortages in key growth sectors of the Sri Lankan economy – and the untapped potential of Sri Lanka’s unemployed youth – a National Social Marketing Campaign will be launched in April, it was announced on 22 February. The campaign aim is to attract young men and women to gain skills and develop careers.
Social marketing is a dynamic approach to social change that uses traditional commercial marketing tactics to promote social good. The mass media campaign, incorporating television, radio, digital, print and social media will target at least 8.5 million people. The campaign is a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training, civil society organisations, international donors, and private sector companies to improve the perception of young men and women in Sri Lanka about the value and importance of skilled careers in various sectors.
The initial investment in the campaign is being funded by the Government of Canada through World University Service of Canada (WUSC). The first of its kind in Sri Lanka, this campaign will bring together stakeholders from across sectors and spheres to work together for a common goal.
The project’s soft launch took place at the Taj Samudra Hotel in the presence of the Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training Mahinda Samarasinghe, Claude Goulet from the Canadian High Commission and other key stakeholders involved in this initiative. The launch acted as a springboard for the unveiling of the island-wide social marketing campaign, which will take place in April.
The outcome of this campaign will be to increase the number of young men and women, including People with Disabilities (PWDs) and young people affected by the war, who enter the labour market in strategic growth industries.
Youth unemployment rates are worryingly high, especially among young people of productive ages 15-24. Unemployment among people between the ages of 20 to 24 is 21.2%, while among the larger age group – 20 to 29-year-olds – the rate is 14.4%. The latter is more than twice the national average which currently stands at 3.1% for men and 7.3% for women. Young women are therefore significantly affected.
Meanwhile, key growth sectors of the economy, such as construction and tourism, are registering serious labour shortages and in some instances seeking to hire foreign workers to meet the demand for skilled labour. At the same time, there are heavy migration rates of skilled labour overseas, primarily to the Middle East.
-Pix by Krishan Shashika Ranasinghe
