Almost two-thirds of 140,000 employees in Sri Lanka’s leading companies are struggling to meet personal and family financial obligations due to the impact of COVID-19, reveals a new report.
The report, “Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Employment in the Private Sector, by Women in Work”, a partnership between IFC (a member of the World Bank Group) and the Australian government, highlights that almost three quarters of the companies surveyed experienced a negative impact on revenue as a result of the pandemic.
According to an IFC media release, the report is based on a survey conducted among 15 leading Sri Lankan companies across a range of sectors—banking and finance, fast moving consumer goods, information technology, garments and manufacturing.
The companies surveyed employ more than 140,000 employees, including almost 85,000 women.
According to the study, female employees were more likely to have experienced increased hours, remote working, a change in job role or to have been re-allocated to a different business unit or work location.
Moreover, female employees faced the greatest stress in terms of meeting increased electricity and other utility bills, compared to their male counterparts.
“COVID-19 has changed workplace dynamics radically. Among many other things, ‘working from home’ has become the new normal.
Our research shows that despite household responsibilities and additional hours of work, women have reported an increased level of productivity during this period as compared to men,” said Amena Arif, IFC Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives.
(LIN)