## 📈 Sri Lanka Unemployment Rises to 4.3% in 3Q 2025

Sri Lanka’s unemployment rate edged up to 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025, ending two quarters of stability at 3.8%. The increase to 367,282 unemployed persons stems from a growing labour force that outpaced current job creation. • Key Labour Statistics • Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (Up from 3.8% in 2Q 2025) • Labour Force Participation: 49.9% (Up from 49.3% YoY) • Total Employed: 8.10 Mn (Slightly down from 8.17 Mn in 2Q) • Sector & Demographic Breakdown • Agriculture: Saw a sharp quarterly contraction in employment, driving the overall dip. • Services: Remains the dominant employer at 49.8% of the workforce. • Gender Dynamics: Female participation rose significantly to 33.9%, while male participation dipped to 68.6%. • Youth & Education: Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) remains high at 19.2%. Notably, unemployment among those with G.C.E. A/L qualifications and above rose to 7.0%. • Context While unemployment remains lower than the 2024 average of 4.4%, the 3Q data reflects a temporary weakness in labour absorption, particularly for new female entrants and educated youth, despite a recovering services sector. _Source: Department of Census and Statistics (Provisional Data)_ ---