Salaries in Sri Lanka by type of job
What employees in Sri Lanka earn in each of the International Labour Organization's broad job groups, from Labour Force Survey (2024).
| Job group | Median a year, with likely range |
|---|---|
| Managers Rs 88,900 a month (published median) | Rs 1,070,000 Rs 699,000 to Rs 1,630,000 |
| Professionals Rs 65,000 a month (published median) | Rs 780,000 Rs 517,000 to Rs 1,180,000 |
| Technicians and associate professionals Rs 53,500 a month (published median) | Rs 642,000 Rs 465,000 to Rs 886,000 |
| Clerical support workers Rs 47,000 a month (published median) | Rs 564,000 Rs 423,000 to Rs 752,000 |
| Service and sales workers Rs 40,000 a month (published median) | Rs 480,000 Rs 345,000 to Rs 668,000 |
| Craft and related trades workers Rs 40,000 a month (published median) | Rs 480,000 Rs 344,000 to Rs 669,000 |
| Plant and machine operators and assemblers Rs 43,700 a month (published median) | Rs 525,000 Rs 401,000 to Rs 687,000 |
| Elementary occupations Rs 30,000 a month (published median) | Rs 360,000 Rs 260,000 to Rs 498,000 |
ILOSTAT publishes the median monthly pay of each group and a Gini index of how unevenly it is spread, not percentiles. The yearly median is the monthly figure times 12. The likely range (25th to 75th percentile) comes from a log-normal curve through the median and the Gini index. Figures are 2024 LKR, rounded to three significant figures.
Which jobs are in each group
ILOSTAT reports pay by group (ISCO-08), not by single job, so every job in a group shares its figure. The jobs from the app in each group:
- Managers: project manager, marketing manager, general / operations manager.
- Professionals: software developer, web developer, data scientist, network / systems administrator, registered nurse, family doctor / GP, pharmacist, dentist, physical therapist / physiotherapist, psychologist, social worker, veterinarian, elementary school teacher, high school teacher, accountant / auditor, financial analyst, actuary, HR specialist, management consultant / analyst, lawyer, mechanical engineer, civil engineer, electrical engineer, architect, graphic designer.
- Technicians and associate professionals: IT support specialist, dental hygienist, paramedic, sales representative (B2B), paralegal, airline pilot, chef / head cook, real estate agent.
- Clerical support workers: bookkeeper, customer service representative, administrative assistant.
- Service and sales workers: nursing assistant, retail salesperson, cashier, police officer, firefighter, cook, hairdresser / stylist, childcare worker.
- Craft and related trades workers: electrician, plumber, carpenter, welder, auto mechanic.
- Plant and machine operators and assemblers: truck driver (heavy).
- Elementary occupations: construction labourer, warehouse worker.
Pay by age
| Age | Median a month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 24 | Rs 35,000 | Rs 420,000 |
| 25 to 34 | Rs 45,000 | Rs 540,000 |
| 35 to 44 | Rs 45,000 | Rs 540,000 |
| 45 to 54 | Rs 45,000 | Rs 540,000 |
| 55 to 64 | Rs 36,000 | Rs 432,000 |
All employees. ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB, 2024.
Pay by education
How much more employees earn at the median than those whose highest level is upper secondary school.
| Highest education | Pay difference |
|---|---|
| Short-cycle tertiary | +35% |
| Bachelor's or equivalent | +74% |
ILOSTAT EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB, 2024. Levels follow ISCED 2011.
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Sources
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Latest year per country, 2015-2025.
- Gini index of monthly earnings of employees by sex and occupation (EAR_EMTG_SEX_OCU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and age (EAR_EMTM_SEX_AGE_NB), with Gini index by age (EAR_EMTG_SEX_AGE_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Same survey and year as the pay figure.
- Median monthly earnings of employees by sex and education (EAR_EMTM_SEX_EDU_NB). ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, Closest year to the pay figure.
- International Standard Classification of Occupations, ISCO-08. International Labour Organization, 2012.
Sri Lanka: Labour Force Survey, 2024. EAR_EMTM_SEX_OCU_NB, LKR.
Contains data from ILOSTAT, International Labour Organization, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Figures were changed: monthly pay x12, and ranges and medians derived through a log-normal curve.