Victoria Dam approaches completion, Accelerated Mahaweli Program
Courtesy Embassy of Sri Lanka

The formally employed population of Sri Lanka in the late 1980s was shifting gradually from agriculture to manufacturing, trade, and service employment. Nevertheless, over 40 percent of the work force remained agricultural in early 1988; most of these workers were smallholders, tenants, and plantation workers. The labor force growing most rapidly in the early and mid-1980s was in the service sector.

Data as of October 1988

NOTE: The information regarding Sri Lanka on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Sri Lanka LABOR information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Sri Lanka LABOR should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.