A National Survey on the Informal Sector in Sri Lanka,
for Ministry of Labour Relations and Manpower

The Department of Labour, using its field staff has collected information on small and medium scale enterprises across the country, using systematic sampling methods. This study will analyze this information with the hope of profiling the distribution of enterprises across the country, according to their type, size, and level of formalization (measured by whether they keep systematic accounts, whether they have taken loans, and whether they have registered their activities) and for analyzing the constraints faced by these enterprises. It is hoped that the information from this survey will help the Department of Labour to formulate policies to better help these enterprises to be sustainable and grow.

Nisha Arunatilake, Priyanka Jayawardena