Record on par with developed countries:
Unemployment down to 5.4 percent
Dharmasiri Abeyrathne
* More employment avenues in pipeline
* Prudent economic measures forestalled
global recession fallout
Despite the world economic recession, the Government was able to
bring down the unemployment rate to 5.4 percent by the last quarter of
2009, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Services
Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. The Minister was quoting from a
report issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka at a media briefing at
the Government Information Department yesterday.
He said 5.4 percent unemployment ratio is an outstanding achievement
for any country. Even in developed countries the unemployment ratio is
around five percent, the Minister added.
The
Government has opened several employment generating avenues. Accordingly
more employment opportunities will be generated in naval, aviation,
power, knowledge and trade and marketing sectors. The Government has
drawn special attention on bringing down the unemployment rate of
qualified and educated persons which is around 10 percent, Minister
Gunawardena noted. Minister Gunawardena totally rejected Opposition
allegations that the unemployment ratio in the country is over 20
percent.
The lowest ever unemployment ratio (5.2 percent) since independence
was reported in 2008 . However the unemployment ratio had gradually gone
up to 6.3 percent by the second quarter of 2009 as a result of the world
economic recession which affected the global economy as a whole.
“Considering this situation, the Government took timely and
appropriate action to reduce the unemployment rate while generating new
employment opportunities.
“The Government was able to bring down the unemployment rate to 5.8
percent by the third quarter in 2009 from 6.3 percent in the second
quarter of 2009”, he said.
Contrary to the UNP government’s policy, the Government absorbed more
than 300,000 young blood to the Government service including 42,000 new
graduates during the past few years into various fields such as
teaching, nursing, clerical services, banking, Security Forces.
The Government expanded the public service to around 1,280,000 even
though the then UNP government had decided to reduce state sector
employment to 600,000 by 2006. The then UNP government had also
allocated money from the 2004 budget for a voluntary retirement scheme.
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