64% OF PROFESSIONALS ARE WOMEN

IN SRI LANKA

Image: Sri Lanka Nurses, courtesy of News.lk.

By Paneetha Ameresekere.28/12/2016
Though Sri Lanka has a poor womens labour force participation
rate (LFPR), women comprised a massive 63. 65 per cent of all
professionals, and men, a miserly 36.35 per cent, Census and
Statistics Departments (CSDs) second quarter (2Q) 2016 Labour
Survey report showed. Nonetheless, as at end 2015, this number
for women was still higher, with 65.8 per cent of all employed
professionals in Sri Lanka comprised of women, the CSD said.
In absolute terms this number (end 2015) comprised 336,586; out
of a total number of 511,230; with male professionals comprising
a mere 174,644.

However, by 2Q 2016 this number, led by the decline in women

professional participation decreased by 7,606 to 503,624 on an
overall basis.This fall was led by a sharp decline in women
professional participation by 16,022 to 320,564, while the
number of male professionals in the review period increased by
8,416 to 183,060.
Nevertheless, on a ratio basis, women at end 2Q 2016 still led the
way, with women comprising 63.65 per cent of all professionals,
and men, a miserly 36.35 per cent, as at the end of that period.
Women LFPR
But that appears to be the only silver lining as far as women in
employment in the country is concerned, because, on an overall
basis, women participation in employment, in Sri Lanka, is low.
This, however, doesnt take into account the large numbers of the
islands women, working abroad, mainly as housemaids.
An estimated 1.7 million Sri Lankans are employed
abroad impacting nearly 25 per cent of our population. A
total of 300,413 (63.22 per cent of males and 36.78 per
cent females) left for employment in 2014, the Foreign
Employment Bureau on its website said.
But, as an official from the CSD told this reporter, though women
employed abroad are not taken into account in the CSD labour
survey, from a statistical perspective, as both of those numbers
add up on the numerator and the denominator, they cancel out.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that there was a greater number of
women in the country, the majority of the female population (15
years and above), was in the economically inactive group (64.1
per cent). Whereas those women (15 years and above) who were

in the economically active group was a mere 35.9 per cent, the
CSDs 2015 year end data showed. By the 2Q of 2016 this number
had come down to 35.1 per cent.
Sri Lanka is a multiethnic, multilingual and multi-religious society
that believes and practises the equality of sexes. Nonetheless,
despite the fact that the majority of its population is women,
women in employment on the whole is low, in comparison to
their male counterparts.
Considering the economic status by gender, majority of
the female population in the island is in the economically
inactive group (64.1 per cent); whereas in the case of
males it was a mere 25.3 per cent by end 2015.
CSD statistics further showed that those who may claim to be in
the countrys labour force, that is those who are 15 years and
above as at last year end, numbered 15.28 million (increased to
15.38 million by end second quarter (2Q of 2016). Of this number,
men comprised 7.04 million (down to 7.03 million by 2Q of 2016)
or 46.04 per cent of the prospective labour force; women, 8.25
million (8.35 million by 2Q of 2016) or 53.95 per cent of the
labour force by end 2015.
However, the actual labour force comprised a mere fraction of
that figure, namely 8.21 million (8.19 million by 2Q of 2016) or
53.8 per cent of the prospective labour force, which percentage
(53.8 per cent) is also known as the LFPR (LFPR was down to 53.3
per cent by end 2Q of 2016).
Such a low LFPR (53.8 per cent as at end 2015) is led by women,
whose LFPR is a mere 35.9 per cent (it had decreased to 35.1 per
cent by end 2Q of 2016) or 2.96 million of its potential labour

force of 8.25 million. In contrast, that of men were a high 74.7 per
cent (5.26 million) LFPR, out of a potential LFPR number, in
absolute terms, of 7.04 million (7.03 million by end 2Q of 2016).
District wise, the highest female LFPR is reported from the
Nuwara Eliya District (48.8 per cent), while the lowest female
LFPR is reported from the Mannar District (18.9 per cent) as at
end 2015.
Women unemployment
Though Sri Lankas unemployment rate stood at 4.7 per cent in
2015 (it had come down to 4.6 per cent by the end of the second
quarter (2Q of 2016), female unemployment stood at a high of
7.6 per cent (it had decreased to 7.3 per cent by end 2Q of 2016),
a CSD report on Labour released on 17 November, 2016 showed.
Meanwhile, though unemployment as a whole has come down, so
also has employment numbers. The employment number, which,
as at end 2015 stood at 7,830,976, had, by 2Q of 2016 come
down to 7,815,280.
In related developments, youth unemployment (those between
the ages of 15-24 years) as a proportion of total unemployment
by gender and level of education stood at a high of 61.6 per cent
for men, by end 2015, whereas in the case of women, it was a
comparatively low percentage figure of 45 per cent, CSD data
showed. These details as at end 2Q of 2016 were not immediately
available.

Youth is defined as those between the ages of 15-24 years. The

total youth unemployment rate in absolute terms stood at
198,908 last year, equivalent to 51.9 per cent of the total
unemployed population. The number of unemployed persons is
estimated at about 383,496 last year (2015). Of this number, 41.1
per cent are men and 58.8 per cent are women. By end 2Q of
2016 this number had come down to 377,987 (4.6 per cent
unemployment rate).
CSD defines labour force as the current, economically active
population who are 15 years of age and over. This number as at
end last year (2015) stood at 8,214,473 (2Q of 2016: Down to
8,193,266).
CSD defines unemployed persons as those who are available
and/or looking for work, but who did not work, though having had
taken steps to find a job during last four weeks and are ready to
accept a job given a work opportunity within the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, male unemployment stood at a relatively low figure
of 3 per cent as at end 2015. But by end 2Q 2016 it had increased
to 3.1 per cent, whereas, female unemployment during this period
stood at 7.3 per cent.
The main reason reported, for the majority among females (64.1
per cent) to be economically inactive is because of their
involvement in housework activities, CSD said.
In related developments, those in the labour force (both sexes)
comprised 8.21 million last year, said CSD. The CSD refers to the
labour force as: All persons who are/were employed or
unemployed during the reference period of the survey (the
reference period is the previous one week). They include all
persons who worked or were available/looking for work during the

reference period. Of this number, males comprised a gigantic

figure of 5.26 million or 63.98 per cent of that segment of the
population and women, a poor 2.96 million (36.02 per cent) of
that segment of the population.
The excuse given for this poor participation of women in the
labour force is due to their responsibility towards household
chores, CSD said.
Women employment in Malaysia
But by contrast in Malaysia, which may be considered as the
islands closest peer as far as the Asian region is concerned, in
the sense both countries have open economies; they are also
multilingual, multiracial and multi religious countries (though
Malaysia can be construed as being more conservative than Sri
Lanka because of its Muslim background as far as women are
concerned), both countries were also former British colonies and
both countries, area wise and population wise may be considered
as being somewhat comparable, despite the fact that Malaysia is
bigger than Sri Lanka in both of those instances, but not by wide
margins, relatively speaking.
Therefore, to compare women in employment vis--vis its peers,
one example that may be taken for this purpose may be Malaysia.
Both countries practise open economies. According to Malaysias
official statistics as found on the web, its population as at last
year (2015) end was 31.2 million.
However, it was not immediately possible to get the composition
of the sexs, with respect to Malaysias population of the year
2015.

Nonetheless, Malaysias official statistics have given estimates, of

the breakdown in sexes as at the current year (2016).
The website of Malaysias Statistics Department estimated that
the countrys population by this year (2016) end will have had
been 31.7 million. Of this number, men will have had comprised
16.4 million (51.7 per cent) of the total population and women,
15.3 million (48.3 per cent).
Meanwhile, the LFPR, says the total number of the economically
active population as a percentage of the total working age
population among women in Malaysia was a high of 54.1 per cent
last year (2015), Malaysias Statistics Department (MSD) said,
compared to a mere LFPR of 35.9 per cent among women in Sri
Lanka in the same period.
Malaysia however, defines its working age population as those
between 15 to 64 years of age, whereas in Sri Lanka its all those
who are 15 years and over, ipso facto, no upper age limit being
fixed, as far as the employable population was concerned.
The increase of female employed persons contributed to the
increase of overall LFPR, MSD said.
Malaysias overall LFPR as at last year stood at 67.9 per cent, a
0.3 percentage point year-on-year (YoY) increase. Females LFPR
was up by 0.4 percentage points reaching 54.1 per cent in 2015,
it added.

These compare with a low, overall LFPR of 53.8 per cent in Sri
Lanka and an even low LFPR for women in the island at 35.9 per
cent.
The top three sectors that attract women in employment in
Malaysia are the wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing and
the education sectors, its Institute of Labour Market Information &
Analysis (ILMIA), which functions under Malaysias Human
Resources Ministry said.
CSD, said of the women employed in Sri Lanka, 24.3 per cent
were in elementary occupation; skilled agricultural, forestry and
fishery workers (18 per cent) and craft related trades workers
(15.8 per cent).
Silver lining
However, the silver lining was that when it came to professionals
and employment, 12.3 per cent of the total employed women in
Sri Lanka were employed in this sector. In descending order, after
craft related trades workers, the next highest absorption was in
the professional category.
Further, 65.8 per cent of all employed professionals in Sri Lanka
comprised women. Overall, professionals (both men and women)
comprised 6.5 per cent of the total employed number for that
sector.
As far as the other aforesaid sectors were concerned, namely,
elementary occupation; skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery
workers and craft related trades workers, women employed in
those sectors comprised under 40 per cent of the total number of
persons employed in those sectors.

Informal sector
Part of the reason why Malaysia has a high LFPR may be due to
the fact that Malaysias informal sector is relatively small
compared to that of Sri Lankas.
In 2015, 11.4 per cent of non agricultural employment was in the
informal sector comprising 1.4 million persons, MSD said.
In contrast, 53.7 per cent (1.47 million) of all of Sri Lankas
employed women (2.73 million) are employed in the informal
sector as at end 2015, CSD data showed.
In fact, the majority (4.69 million (59.8 per cent)) of all Sri
Lankans in employment (7.83 million) are employed by the
informal sector.
Informal sector employment among men comprised 63. 4 per
cent (3.22 million) of this sexs total employment figure (5.1
million) as at last year (2015) in this country.
In contrast, in Malaysia, out of a total labour force of 14.1 million
last year, it had an LFPR of 67.9 per cent in 2015 (14.07 million)
and an unemployment rate of 450,300 (3.1 per cent).
Though it was not possible to get the data with reference to those
employed, sector wise, in Malaysia as at last year (2015), the
figures for 2014 were, however, available.

Those were 12.2 per cent employed in the Agriculture Sector in

Malaysia in 2014, 27.4 per cent in the Industries Sector and 60.3
per cent in the Services Sector respectively.
In contrast, in Sri Lanka, a high number of those employed were
in the Agriculture Sector, occupying a space of 28.7 per cent.
Those in the Industries Sector comprised 25.8 per cent and
Services (45.6 per cent).
But by the end of the 2Q of 2016, the Agriculture percentage had
come down to 25.1 per cent, whereas those employed in the
Industries Sector increased to 27.1 per cent and the Services
Sector (47.8 per cent).
In absolute terms, these numbers by end 2Q of 2016 were:Agriculture (1,961,818; down 2,244,547 as at end 2015),
Industries: (2,121,365; up from 2,018,171) and Services
(3,732,097; up from 3,568,259).
Women in employment
According to the Census and Statistics Department (CSD), Sri
Lankas midyear population (as at this year (2016)) was 21.2
million. CSD doesnt give the islands end last year population,
but it gives the countrys midyear population as at last year
(2015) at 20.97 million. Taking the average of these two numbers,
it may be assumed that the islands population as at last year end
(2015) was 21.08 million.
According to CSD, as at middle of this year (2016), the total
number of women in the country was 10.94 million or 51.59 per
cent of the total population and men, 10.27 million or 48.41 per

cent of the population. As at mid last year, the number of men

was 10.15 million or 48.42 per cent of the total population and
women, 10.82 million or 51.58 per cent of the population.
On that basis, the number of men as at last year end may have
had averaged out to be 10.21 million or 48.41 per cent of the
total population and those of women, 10.88 million or 51.59 per
cent of the total population; on the hypothesis that the countrys
total population by last year end was 21.08 million as derived
above.
In numbers, the economically inactive women were equivalent to
5.29 million of that population, whereas its economically active
group represented a mere 2.96 million of that population in
question.
Meanwhile, in the case of men (15 years and above), the
economically active group represented 74.69 per cent (5.26
million) of that sector population, whereas its economically
inactive comprised 1.78 million or a miserly 25.31 per cent of
that sectors population.
CSDs definition of the working age population is all those who
are above 15 years of age. That number comprised 15.28 million
(both sexes) as at last year end, CSD said. This comprised a male
population of 7.04 million (46.05 per cent) and a female (working
age) population of 8.25 million (53.95 per cent).
Over a seven-year period from 2006 to 2012 though the women
unemployment rate had declined from 9.7 per cent to 5.8 per
cent, nonetheless, in the three-year period from 2012 to 2015 it

has risen from 5.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent, said the CSD. Over the
period female unemployment remains higher than that of males.
The unemployment rate among the high educated group (G.C.E
(A/L) and above) is reported to be 9.2 per cent. The gender split in
this connection is 4.7 per cent for men and a high of 13.5 per cent
for women, respectively.
This reveals that the problem of unemployment is more acute in
the case of educated females than males.
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