Sri Lanka accelerates digital transformation in labour sector
Daily FT: The Government last week held a high-level discussion to streamline Labour Department services and to enhance transparency and improve efficiency and convenience for the public.
The move is part of the Government’s digital transformation project, a key initiative overseen by President Anura Kumara Disanayake in his capacity as Digital Economy Minister.
The initiative aims to modernise State institutions by introducing efficient, technology-driven services, with the Labour Ministry among the first to undergo digitisation.
The meeting, held on 27 March at the Labour Ministry, was attended by Labour Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, and Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, alongside key Ministry officials, bank representatives, and lecturers from the University of Moratuwa – where they focused on streamlining public services through digital technology.
During the discussion, special attention was given to the Department of Labour, a critical institution coming under the purview of the Labour Ministry, and the urgent need to enhance its efficiency.
Participants stressed the importance of reducing bureaucratic delays and enabling quicker, more effective service delivery to the public. The proposed digitisation project will focus on creating a unified digital platform, allowing seamless coordination between institutions such as the Department of Labour, the Central Bank, and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF).
OSL take:
Sri Lanka is currently engaged in a drive to digitize the country as part of its target of becoming a regional hub. The Sri Lankan government had launched a programme to digitize all sectors of the country including public and private sectors. The transformation of the country into an e-economy is essential for Sri Lanka to reach the next level of global development. All these have resulted in the expansion of Sri Lanka’s ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors. The growth and profits recorded by local businesses engaged in the ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors in the country indicate the increasing business potential in these sectors in Sri Lanka. This has been further proven by the interest shown by many international businesses in the ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors to enter the Sri Lankan economy while also looking at possibilities of expanding operations through joint ventures or partnerships with local businesses already operating in these sectors. Given all these positive indicators, the steady growth in the ICT and digital infrastructure development sectors present lucrative business/investment opportunities for foreign businesses/investors on the lookout for ventures in Sri Lanka.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20250403/Z_3 |