Sri Lanka may have to recruit skilled workers from overseas as the country’s rapidly expanding construction sector faces a growing labour shortage, Deputy Minister of Construction T.B. Sarath said.

Speaking at a public event, the Deputy Minister said it has become increasingly difficult to find skilled tradespeople such as electricians and welders, with many fully booked for weeks due to rising demand.

He said the construction sector is experiencing significant growth, particularly in the Colombo urban area, and estimated that the country will require more than 10,000 additional skilled workers by the beginning of next year.

Sarath said one of the ministry’s biggest challenges is to train thousands of skilled workers within the next six months to meet the increasing demand.

However, he noted that many newly trained workers leave Sri Lanka for employment opportunities in countries such as South Korea and Israel soon after completing their training, making it difficult to retain a skilled workforce.

“As a result, we may have to bring in skilled workers from overseas if we cannot meet the demand locally,” he said.

The Deputy Minister also claimed that Sri Lanka is currently among the fastest-developing countries in South Asia, attributing the increasing demand for skilled labour to the country’s accelerating development and construction activity. (Newswire)

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