Search

Sustained economic growth and structural change has been a feature of the Sri Lankan economy over the past decade, despite armed internal conflict and the global financial crisis. This has transformed the skills requirements of the workforce. The country is following an ambitious development plan, published under the title ‘Mahinda Chintana,'aiming to become a regional hub in strategic economic areas and to transform itself into an efficiency driven middle income economy. As a result, the demand for skills is likely to accelerate. Unfortunately, despite high achievements in general education, major skills gaps and mismatches in the labor market remain that constrain firm and worker productivity. The government of Sri Lanka recognizes the critical importance of developing a skilled labor force for achieving the country's development goals, and it is committed to building a high quality, market demand driven, and responsive workforce development (WfD) system. The strategic directions for WfD are outlined in both ‘Mahinda Chintana' and the National Human Resources and Employment Policy. The WfD sector wide strategy is being developed by the Ministry of Finance and Planning and other relevant line ministries to operationalize these strategic directions. The SABER WfD diagnostic tool presents a great opportunity to enrich the policy dialogue on WfD in Sri Lanka, helping the government of Sri Lanka identify key bottlenecks and set priorities in the WfD process.

Saint Lucia is a Small Island Developing State, whose economy suffered a significant setback after the devastation of its once solid banana industry in the early 2000s. The Island’s economy has also experienced anemic growth since the global financial crisis in 2008. The country is now highly dependent on tourism, the main source of employment and income, which makes up 39 percent of GDP approximately. As internal Consumption of commodities and industrial inputs also relies heavily on imports, Saint Lucia is vulnerable to external economic, political and climatic conditions. Over the last decade, the country has witnessed increased unemployment, especially within the youth bracket. In an economy with such limited diversification, unemployment has become structural. Understanding the threat that unemployment poses to the stability of the Island, the government has noted the urgency of developing strategies for providing relevant training and educational opportunities necessary to create a strong workforce.