Sri Lanka lose 39,000 industrial jobs

Apr 09, 2010 (LBO) - Sri Lanka has lost 39,700 industrial jobs and 136,000 agricultural jobs in the fourth quarter of 2009 from a year earlier but gained 56,200 service jobs, a government survey showed. There was a 16,600 nnet gain in non-farm jobs in the last quarter from a year earlier, a quarterly labour force survey of the government's statistics office said.

But compared to the third quarter there was a loss of 104,000 non-farm jobs, with the services sector losing 112,700 jobs and industry gaining 8,600.

The data is based on a sample survey, does not include Sri Lanka's northern province which emerged from a war last year.

Total employed in absolute terms fell 120,100 to 7.59 million in the fourth quarter from 77.1 million a year earlier. Compared to the third quarter the total employed fell 48,800 to from 7.64 million.

The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter was estimated at 5.

7 percent (5.9 percent in the third quarter) or 458,000 persons.

The statistics office also said that economic growth picked up pace to 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter from 4.

2 percent in the third quarter ending the ye