📈 Youth Employment Crisis & The Shift to Entrepreneurship

The Sri Lankan job market faces a significant mismatch between graduate output and available opportunities, driven by economic instability and high inflation. • Overall Situation: Significant difficulty for youth in securing preferred roles, leading to issues like high absenteeism and low commitment. • Educational Mismatch: Despite expanded access to Government and private universities, graduates often work outside their fields (e.g., ICT/BPM or marketing) or in roles requiring lower qualifications. • Economic Constraints: Stagnant job creation in both public and private sectors is compounded by currency fluctuations, making entry-level salaries insufficient to cover rising living costs. • Proposed Solution: A strategic shift from "job seekers" to "job creators" through entrepreneurship and startups to drive innovation and national economic stability. • National Context: Fostering a self-driven, resilient workforce is viewed as essential to navigating the current narrowing of traditional employment paths.