The State of Jobs in Post-Conflict Areas of Sri Lanka

Newhouse, David ; Silwal, Ani Rudra

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: CONFLICT;    JOB CREATION;    JOBS;    POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION;    LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-8355
RP-ID  :  WPS8355

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Although Sri Lanka has made significantprogress in social and economic development over the pastdecade, the Northern and Eastern provinces that faced thebrunt of the decades-long conflict remain disproportionatelypoor. To understand the labor market dimensions of povertyin these regions, this paper examines a range of job-relatedindicators, using data from 2011 to 2015. The overall laborforce participation rate in these provinces is significantlylower than in the rest of the country. Much of thedifference can be attributed to adult women, although theparticipation rates of youth and those with lowereducational attainment are also low. The distribution ofwages for male and female wage workers in these provinces issimilar to that in other parts of the country. The patternof low employment rates and comparable wages is consistentwith a combination of low demand for labor and greaterreluctance to work in these regions, which each depressemployment but have counteracting effects on equilibriumwages. Skills are an issue, as adults in these provincestend to score lower on literacy tests and have lowerself-reported skills in reading, writing, and numeracy.Households in these provinces have less access to formalfinance, which may also contribute to a lack ofself-employment opportunities.