The Government is looking to the private sector to expand employment opportunities for youth, acknowledging that it cannot tackle the country’s unemployment problem on its own, Deputy Minister of Youth Dinindu Saman Hennayake said.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said employment opportunities for youth remained limited, making market expansion essential. He said the Government had launched several public-private partnership (PPP) projects while seeking to attract new investors and increase foreign direct investment (FDI).

He noted that Sri Lanka had recorded its highest FDI inflow in the previous year, adding that the Government was working to create further investment opportunities. However, he said rapid change was difficult given the country’s low economic growth, which also limited the pace of job market expansion.

Hennayake said sectors such as tourism, which offer significant employment opportunities, were largely driven by the private sector, making private sector participation essential to addressing unemployment.

He added that the Government planned to facilitate private sector growth, identifying energy stability as a key concern for businesses. He said plans were in place to stabilise the country’s energy supply and remove this obstacle to business expansion.