Over 100,000 leave agricultural jobs in Sri Lanka

Professor Wasantha Athukorala from the Department of Economics and Statistics at the University of Peradeniya states that over 100,000 people have left agricultural employment in Sri Lanka within the past year.

He mentioned that this has been confirmed by a report issued by the Department of Census and Statistics.

Further expressing his views, he noted that due to various issues in the agricultural sector, people are moving away from agricultural jobs, leading to a decline in the production of essential agricultural goods in the country.

He warned that if this situation continues, it will significantly impact the country’s economy.

“Within approximately the past year, around 147,989 people have exited jobs in the agricultural sector.

By the first quarter of 2023, the number of people employed in the agricultural sector was about 2,187,563. By the first quarter of 2024, this figure had dropped to 2,139,574.

In the first quarter of 2023, employment in the agricultural sector accounted for 26.7% of total employment. However, by the first quarter of 2024, it had fallen to 25.8%.”