Working Beyond the Age of Retirement: Patterns and Determinants of Elderly Labour Force Participation in Sri Lanka

Series: Poverty and Social Welfare Research Series

Sri Lanka has the fastest ageing population in South Asia and this can have significant implications for the country’s labour markets, social protection systems, and healthcare expenditure. The issue of Sri Lanka’s ageing population is further compounded by two major labour market challenges: high level of informal sector employment, and continuing low levels of female labour force participation (LFP). These two challenges imply that a considerable share of the country’s population is without access to social security bene­fits and have inadequate savings for old-age. Therefore, examining the elderly LFP is important to ensure old-age income security, while lessening the care burden of the working-age population.