: Technical Co-Operation in Sri Lanka
JobsNet
Jobs Net- The National Employment Sourcing & Delivery System as the referral system benefits jobseekers, local
and foreign employers and self-employment seekers by providing referrals for jobs and training, information,
advice and Career Guidance. It is an on-line referral system with a web interface at www.jobsnet.lk. The project
is a Public sector – private sector partnership. As a National project the Ministry of Labor Relations and Foreign
Employment representing the Public sector joins hands with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, harnessing the
support and active participation of the private sector in this unique partnership. The Ceylon Chamber of
Commerce manages Jobs Net. As at present the project is funded by SIDA for its operations and HRD for a period
of 3 years with effect from 2004 while International labor organization provides technical support. The Donor
assistance amounts to US$ 2162397.
The Hon. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Hon. Minister of Labor Athauda Senavirathne, welcomed by the ILO – project
advisor at the Education Exhibition 2005 in Colombo.
The enduring vision of the JobsNet project is to effectively facilitate the process of making Sri Lanka be a provider
of globally employable and competitive human capital, with the singular aim of enhancing and sustaining the
qualitative standard of living of all Sri Lankans.Flowing from the vision the penultimate mission of the Project is to
develop and implement a service facility for jobseekers and providers of all employment, including self
employment, through the use of modern Info-communications based interactivity, upholding the values of
meritocracy and transparency.
The governing project objectives encompasses,• Setting up an efficient mechanism to source and create job
opportunities for Sri Lankans working closely with the government, private and NGO sectors, both within Sri
Lanka and overseas including through the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), working as a
partner of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
A carrier counseling cession conducted at Kandy
• Set up an island-wide network of job service centers to provide efficient access to Sri Lankans to learn about
the opportunities and source them, facilitate the provision of jobs and provide a referral service for appropriate
training and counseling services, including an Internet based virtual delivery system.
• To restore confidence levels of the public through setting up of systems driven by national objectives and
conduct of appropriate public relations campaigns.
• Set up systems to enable close partnership between the public and private sectors in the sourcing and delivery
of jobs and in facilitating training and counseling services.
• Work in close partnership with all stakeholder government, private sector and NGO agencies, the ILO and other
multilateral and bilateral agencies and to support the long-term implementation of the systems.
•Ensure that the project will develop on a self-sustaining management and revenue model without dependence
on government funds for its operation after its initial implementation phase.
At the moment JobsNet has more than
100.000 jobseekers registered and
about 3.000 companies are paying
members. All different categories of
jobseekers are represented, but there
is an important gap between the
characteristics of the jobseekers and
the requirements of the employers.
More than 60.000 vacancies have been
served up till June 2005. An estimation
of 20.000 jobseekers found a job with
the support of JobsNet.
The change in government in Sri Lanka caused a drop in performance of the project due to some uncertainties
about the future. A renewed start was taking in the second quarter of 2004 end since then a constantly growth
on all activities was achieved. The impact of the tsunami disaster is reflected in the figures covering the first
quarter of 2005.Skills matching, control of job candidate qualification, job coaching and job counseling are the
most critical functions performed by JobsNet. Within the capacity building efforts for the staff a substantial part
of it goes to training in counseling and career guidance skills. 80% of all jobseekers have been referred to one
or more vacancies. About 6.000 jobseekers were referred to additional training programs.
Presently it mainly generates revenue
through membership fees from the
registered employers. Special activities
have been undertaken to target small
and medium enterprises,
underrepresented in our actual list of
members. All centre manager’s visits
new enterprises weekly and the Ceylon
Chamber of Commerce is also to
increase its efforts to attract new
members.However it should embark on
other additional revenue generating
activities, in attempt to get to financial
sustainability. New initiatives are to be
launched in the near future The many
efforts, with good results, by JobsNet in
the field of organizing surveys and
information gathering related to labor
market and livelihood recovery
indicated a promising field of new
activities for the future.
Presently the JobsNet project is seeking to convert its self into a legal entity which has an existence on its own.
One of the possibilities is turn the project into a private limited company, having public and private
shareholders. In the near future reports are to be published on gender issues and the gap between jobseekers
and vacancies in Sri Lanka.