The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island country is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It covers 65,600 square kilometers, largely made up of coastal plains in the north, and hills and mountains in the south-central interior. The main industries are the processing of agricultural produce largely rubber, tea, coconuts, and tobacco. Sri Lanka’s top trading partners are India, China, and the United States. A leading tea producer and exporter, Sri Lanka also exports apparel, coffee, and spices. The services sector is the leading employer (46%), followed by industry (30%), and agriculture (24%).
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Sri Lanka.
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The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island country is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. It covers 65,600 square kilometers, largely made up of coastal plains in the north, and hills and mountains in the south-central interior. The main industries are the processing of agricultural produce largely rubber, tea, coconuts, and tobacco. Sri Lanka’s top trading partners are India, China, and the United States. A leading tea producer and exporter, Sri Lanka also exports apparel, coffee, and spices. The services sector is the leading employer (46%), followed by industry (30%), and agriculture (24%).
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Sri Lanka.
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2026 and are critical for hiring in Sri Lanka planning:
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2026.
| January 3 | Tamil Thai Pongal Day | |
| January 15 | Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| February 1 | Navam Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| February 4 | National Day | |
| February 15 | Mahasivarathri Day | Movable |
| March 2 | Madin Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| March 21 | Id Ul-Fitr | Movable |
| April 1 | Bak Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| April 3 | Good Friday | Movable |
| April 13 - 14 | Sinhala & Tamil New Year Holiday | Movable |
| May 1 | May Day | |
| May 1 | Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| May 2 | Day following Vesak Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| May 28 | Id Ul-Alha | Movable |
| May 30 | Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| June 29 | Poson Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| July 29 | Esala Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| August 26 | Milad un-Nabi | Movable |
| August 27 | Nikini Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| September 26 | Binara Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| October 25 | Vap Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| November 8 | Deepavali | Movable |
| November 24 | Ill Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| December 23 | Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day | Movable |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Sri Lanka is 6 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
| Benefits | Employer Contributions |
| Employee Provident Fund | 12% |
| Employee Trust Fund | 3% |
| Social security contributions on annual turnover exceeding LKR 120 million | 2.5% (effected from April 1, 2022) |
The normal working hours are eight hours per day and are not to exceed 45 hours per week. One-hour rest breaks must be given between the hours of 11.00am and 2.00pm where employees work during the daytime.
Overtime is not to exceed 12 hours in any one week. Overtime pay is 150% of the rate of ordinary pay.
There is no legislated probation period. The Act provides for the employer to clearly state the probation period, the terms governing it, and the circumstances under which the employee may be terminated during the probation period. In practice, probation periods are six months to a year.
There is no statutory notice period for individual dismissals. Individual notice periods, or payments in lieu of notice of dismissal, are stipulated in the contract of employment.
For collective dismissals, at least one month’s prior notice applies prior to retrenching employees that have served the employer for at least one year.
The normal working hours are eight hours per day and are not to exceed 45 hours per week. One-hour rest breaks must be given between the hours of 11.00am and 2.00pm where employees work during the daytime.
Overtime is not to exceed 12 hours in any one week. Overtime pay is 150% of the rate of ordinary pay.
There is no legislated probation period. The Act provides for the employer to clearly state the probation period, the terms governing it, and the circumstances under which the employee may be terminated during the probation period. In practice, probation periods are six months to a year.
There is no statutory notice period for individual dismissals. Individual notice periods, or payments in lieu of notice of dismissal, are stipulated in the contract of employment.
For collective dismissals, at least one month’s prior notice applies prior to retrenching employees that have served the employer for at least one year.
| Benefits | Employer Contributions |
| Employee Provident Fund | 12% |
| Employee Trust Fund | 3% |
| Social security contributions on annual turnover exceeding LKR 120 million | 2.5% (effected from April 1, 2022) |
