When Batya Peters looks at the future, she sees more than a job.
Like thousands of young Sri Lankans preparing to leave university, she is thinking about independence, stability and whether she can build a future in the country she calls home.
“You want to believe that if you work hard, study and earn a degree, opportunities will follow,” she says. “But many young people are no longer sure of that.”
For decades, the path for a university graduate in Sri Lanka seemed predictable – earn a degree, secure a stable public sector or a corporate job and begin building a life. But today, that path is becoming less certain.
Over the next decade, nearly one million young Sri Lankans are expected to enter the formal workforce. Yet, if current trends continue, the economy is projected to create only about 300,000 formal jobs. That leaves seven in 10 young entrants facing an uncertain future.
The challenge is not only about the number of jobs. It is about opportunity itself.
Many young Sri Lankans are entering a labor market where quality jobs are scarce, wages often fail to keep pace with aspirations, and too many graduates struggle to find work that matches their skills. At the same time, nearly 70 percent of the workforce remains in informal employment, limiting access to stability, social protection, and career growth.
Sri Lanka has made important progress in stabilizing its economy after successive crises, with growth returning and inflation easing.
But for young people, recovery only becomes meaningful when it translates into opportunity.
The real question facing Sri Lanka is not whether the economy is growing. It is whether growth can create enough good jobs for the next generation.
read more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/08/12/a-million-dreams-700-000-jobs-what-sri-lanka-s-youth-are-really-asking-for
