Women’s labor force participation is one of the development challenges faced by Sri Lanka that constrains the country’s optimal utilization of its labor and human capital. Nearly one-third of women are out of the labor force despite their high access to education, which limits the country’s potential for economic growth and inclusive development. Sri Lanka is seeking to overcome economic challenges and foster sustainable development through inclusive labor market and human development policies. Understanding the barriers to female labor force participation and solutions to overcome them is therefore crucial to ensure the policies and investments are gender-transformative and boost women’s participation in the workforce.

ADB has commissioned a study, Exploring the Factors Behind Low Female Labor Force Participation in Sri Lanka. The study has revealed that women’s labor force participation is shaped by a complexity of factors related to care work, gender and social norms, gender-responsive policies, and others. The study also offers recommendations and future policy directions to address the existing gaps in female labor force participation. In addition, ADB has also issued a Policy Brief further synthesizing the findings of the larger study and offering practical and effective approaches for enabling women’s labor force participation in Sri Lanka.

ADB will conduct a knowledge event under its Serendipity Knowledge Program (SKOP) for Sri Lanka on 3 June 2026, as a first step in its knowledge support to promote women’s labor force participation. The SKOP event will provide a forum to discuss the opportunities for promoting women’s economic participation in Sri Lanka, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders, including the government, industry, international experts, the academia, development partners, and others. The event will be an opportunity to explore collaborations and opportunities for tangible actions as well as further knowledge exchange, and priorities for addressing gaps in women’s labor force participation. ADB expects high-level participation from all critical sectors of the government to inform the dialog and to identify further steps to transform Sri Lanka’s economy through gender-responsive approaches. 

The knowledge event is jointly supported through Technical Assistance SRI: Knowledge and Innovation for Transformative Economic Solutions and regional Technical Assistance on Promoting Gender Transformative and Socially Inclusive Results in South Asia.