PARLIAMENT

• An information system is being set up to collect information related to the labor market - Department of Labor informs the Committee

The attention of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment & Labour was directed towards encouraging the informal sector workers to contribute to Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

The Committee emphasized that the number of people employed in the informal sector of the service sector is around 60% and that by contributing to the Employee Provident Fund, their social security can be increased. It was disclosed in the Committee that at present, about eighty thousand organizations that pay employees' provident funds are registered with the Department of Labor. Accordingly, the Committee Chair pointed out that the number of companies is not sufficient and instructed the Department of Labor to prepare a proper system to identify all the companies that are not registered for the payment of employee welfare funds.

Matters regarding this were discussed when the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Foreign Employment and Labor met in Parliament on 16.11.2023 Chaired by of Hon. Hector Appuhamy, Member of Parliament.

The officials of the Labor Department stated that the initial steps have been taken to digitize the Labor Department. According to this, a digital method of gathering information related to the labor market has been planned under the name of National Labor Market Information System.

The Department of Labor pointed out that it is problematic for the Central Bank's Monetary Board to take all the decisions of the Employees' Provident Fund. Accordingly, the officials emphasized to the Committee the importance of having a representation of the Department of Labor in the Monetary Board of the Central Bank.

It was discussed in the Committee that due to the differences between the methods of the Department of Labor and the Central Bank, the members will have to face some problems while getting the funds and some method should be prepared to enter their information correctly when getting the membership.

Members of Parliament Hon. Gamini Lokuge, Hon. Faisal Qasim, Hon. Kapila Athukorala, Hon. S. M. Marikkar, Hon. Ishaq Rahman, Hon. Sahan Pradeep Withana and with the permission of the Chair Hon. Vadivel Suresh were also present at the Committee meeting held.