Sri Lanka's ICT workforce to record 16 percent growth

Source: Xinhua | 2019-08-09

Workers in Sri Lanka's information communications technology (ICT) sector is expected to grow 16.9 percent in 2019 to 146,089 from 124,873 in 2018, a survey by Sri Lanka's ICT Agency said here Thursday.
Quoted in local media reports, the survey report said the workforce in the island's ICT sector had grown 50.7 percent since the 82,854 recorded in last survey in 2014.
"As per my knowledge the ICT industry is the only industry that can improve the quality of life of the people in this country," Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology Ajith Perera said.
"It is the only industry that can produce thousands of jobs and match the aspirations of the future generations," the minister added.
The survey report said in 2013 when the first survey was done most of the workers were in computer departments of non-IT firms in the island country.
But by 2019, pure ICT firms have become the biggest employers.
ICT firms employed 65.6 percent of the workforce and non-ICT firms employed only 22 percent.
The Sri Lankan government recently said that the country is rapidly emerging as a world's ICT destination of choice.
The ICT sector of Sri Lanka has become the fourth largest export earner.