IT / Software Industry of Sri Lanka

Employability Skills
Survey 2024
1

Employability Skills Survey 2024

Introduction
The contents of this document set out findings from the IT/ Software Industry Employability Skills
Survey which was designed and conducted by SLASSCOM through an online questionnaire
distributed to Sri Lankan domiciled companies in the IT sector and data visualization by Deloitte
Advisory Services (Private) Limited (“Deloitte”) and where the data capture was concluded as at the
beginning of February 2024. Future market factors, economic conditions and corporate
performance changes may result in the contents of the report becoming outdated. Recipients of
the report are to use their own judgement and consider other pertinent factors when referring to
the report findings. The report is produced for general information purposes only.

During the course of data capture, neither Deloitte or SLASSCOM has not verified the accuracy or
completeness of the information provided by survey participants and accepts no liability or
responsibility for any errors or omissions. The survey results, analysis and interpretations provided
in this document is based on information provided by respective survey participants and do not
necessarily reflect any views or opinions of Deloitte or SLASSCOM.

This document is prepared under the terms and conditions between Deloitte and SLASSCOM and
for use by SLASSCOM and to support its corporate office services related matters. Other persons
who are in the possession of this document are not entitled to rely on any information, comment,
conclusion, or opinion in the document or the accuracy or completeness of any information
included in this document.

Employability Skills Survey 2024

About SLASSCOM
SLASSCOM is the national chamber for the IT/BPM industry in Sri Lanka and acts as the catalyst
of growth for the Sri Lankan IT and BPM industry by facilitating trade and business,
propagation of education and employment, encouragement of research and innovation, and
by supporting the creation of a progressive national policy framework. Member organizations
of SLASSCOM account for approximately 90% of the IT/BPM industry export revenue.

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 Chairman’s Message

Jehan Perinpanayagam
Chairman - SLASSCOM

I am delighted as Chairman to be able to share some introductory comments to this very

important report and also delighted that SLASSCOM, as the industry association, has been
able to compile this very relevant and timely skills survey.

The industry has proved extremely resilient and adaptable throughout the years of Covid
and the recent economic challenge and has been innovative in its approach to finding
solutions to challenges. The talent aspect has been one such challenge with global demand
for IT skills impacting Sri Lanka’s industry. Also, the rapid change in the industry fueled by
technologies like AI is also changing the skills in demand.

This survey encompasses SLASSCOM's member companies, which actively recruit graduates
for IT and related technology roles. The primary objective of this survey is to assess the skills
in demand with inputs from a cross section of our companies. This will provide vital
information on the skill trends and also statistics of projected demand which will be valuable
inputs to the higher education bodies. Collaboration between the industry and the
education sector will enhance the capacity, quality, and standards of skills in line with the
rapidly changing global landscape.

Moreover, the survey serves as a crucial tool in improving the employability of

undergraduates in the IT industry. Further, it enables SLASSCOM to implement targeted
interventions in collaboration with higher education partners to ensure the students are
equipped with the necessary skills to service the demands of the industry.

Having a future ready workforce, both the requisite numbers and quality, will be vital if we
as the island of ingenuity are to achieve our full potential and to achieve our goal of being a
vital contributor to the Sri Lankan economy.

Employability Skills Survey 2024

Table of Contents
IT Skills and Top Priorities of Respondent Organizations 08
Trends in Programming Languages, Databases, and Web Frameworks 09
Trending Cloud Platforms, Tools, and Frameworks/ Libraries 11
Trending Tools and Technologies in AI Development, Data Analytics,
and QA/Testing 12
IT Industry Employment and Graduate Hiring 14
Views on Education and Talent Development for IT Industry
Employment 22
Survey Objectives

Collect data on the current state of Identify key trends and challenges
employability skills in Sri Lanka’s IT related to employability skills in the IT
marketplace. industry.

Assess the demand for specific skills Understand the perspectives of IT

among employers in the IT sector. professionals regarding their skill
sets and job opportunities.

Provide a platform for industry Develop actionable insights and

stakeholders to discuss and recommendations based on survey
collaborate on addressing findings.
employability skills gaps.

Foster partnerships and initiatives to

improve the overall employability skills
of IT professionals in Sri Lanka.

Methodology

The survey was conducted It was conducted The questionnaire was

through an online between October 2023 to shared with the senior
questionnaire distributed to Sri February 2024. management of the
Lankan domiciled companies participant companies.
in the IT sector.

This report presents the All comments and findings in this

analyzed survey report are based on survey responses
responses in aggregate unless otherwise explicitly mentioned.
form. 6
6
Employability Skills Survey 2024
Employability Skills Survey 2024
 The survey report entails responses from a total of 37 companies spanning diverse
operations, business scales and focus industries.

NATURE OF BUSINESS NUMBER OF YEARS IN BUSINESS

Other
11%
IT & Product
Service Less than 3
19% Between 3 to years
8 years 11% More than
24% 15 years
41%

IT Product IT Service
Company Company
38% Between 8
32%
to 15 years
24%

• 54% of the respondents offer Offshore, Outsource Software, Website and Apps Development
Services.
• A considerable number of companies are engaged in Outsource product engineering
including captive centers.
• Of the overall respondents, 22% of firms provide IP Creation, Software Products, Software
Services, Middleware & Licensing.

STAFF STRENGTH SHARE OF EXPORT REVENUE GENERATED

FROM IT SERVICES OFFERED
Above 500 27% 100% 65%

250 - 500 Staff 13% 51% - 99% 8%

26% - 50% 5%
150 - 250 Staff 13%
1% - 25% 16%
50 - 150 Staff 47%
0% 5%
0 -50 0%

% of respondent companies % of respondent companies

IT is Sri Lanka’s industry of the future, with the potential to become the # 1 export revenue earner
for Sri Lanka. The majority of the survey respondent companies generate a larger share (>60%) of
revenue from exports.

*The IT/BPM sector employs over 80,000 dedicated professionals, who are
instrumental in advancing technology and bolstering economic development. 7

Employability Skills Survey 2024

IT Skills and Top Priorities of Respondent Organizations
Sri Lankan companies have embraced emerging technologies to provide more efficient and
effective solutions whilst driving skills demand in such essential emerging technologies.

TOP PRIORITIES OF RESPONDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Being agile & adapting quickly 70%

Reskilling & upskilling existing employees 70%

Attracting & retaining employees 68%

Helping employees maintain a healthy work - life balance 65%

Leadership development 54%

Enhancing employee experience 43%

Exploring global talent mobility strategies 19%

Explore talent pools from other geographies 11% % of respondent companies

10 New Technology Trends For 2024: 7 In – Demand It Skills To Boost

Your Resume In 2024:
AI Trust, Risk and Security Management
(AI TRiSM)
Security
Continuous Threat Exposure
Management (CTEM)
Programming
Sustainable Technology
Systems & Networks
Platform Engineering
Data Analysis
AI-Augmented Development
DevOps

Industry Cloud Platforms

Cloud Computing
Intelligent Applications
AI/ Machine Learning
Democratized Generative AI

Augmented Connected Workforce

Machine Customers

Source: Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Source: 7 – In Demand Skills to Boost Your
Trends for 2024 Resume in 2024
.
8

Employability Skills Survey 2024

Trends in Programming Languages, Databases, and Web
Frameworks
DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING PROGRAMMING, SCRIPTING, AND MARKUP
LANGUAGES USED BY SURVEY RESPONDENTS
JavaScript 78%
81%

HTML/CSS 59%
60%

SQL 54%
57% Commonly used programming
54% languages will continue their
Python
overall popularity and application
62%

into the future with a significant

Node,js 51%
57%

TypeScript 43%
51% incumbent user base; JavaScript,
41% and Python are amongst other
C# 41%
programming languages expected
to drive future demand, particularly
PHP 30%
35%

C++ 22%
41%
amongst new users.
Java 22%
22%

Blockchain 14%
30%

Kotlin 14%
22%
14%
Currently in use Planning to use in the next 18 months
PowerShell 16%

Other 14%
16%

Golang 11%
16%

C 5%
5%
As a % of respondent companies

Rust 5%
8%

Distribution Of Trending Programming, Scripting, And Markup Languages Used

Globally

JavaScript -63%
HTML/CSS - 53%
Python - 49%
SQL - 48%
TypeScript - 38%
Java - 30%
C# -27%
C++ -22%
PHP -18%
Rust -13%
Go -13%

Source: Most used programming languages among developers worldwide as of 2023

Statista.com
9

Employability Skills Survey 2024

DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING DATABASES USED BY SURVEY RESPONDENTS

MySQL 57%
57%

MongoDB 45%
51%

Microsoft SQL Server 43%

49%

PostgreSQL 40%
49%

Oracle 32%
35%

Elasticsearch 27%
30%

DynamoDB 16%
22%

Redis 14%
19%
14%
Databases organizations are currently
Firebase Realtime Database 14%
using
SQLite 11%
14%

Snowflake 11%
22% Databases organizations are planning
BigQuery 8%
8% to use in the next 18 months
Other 5%
5%
3% As a % of respondent companies
Microsoft Access 3%

MariaDB 0%
3%

DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING WEB FRAMEWORKS

React 81%
86%

Node.js 59%
68%

Angular 57%
62%

Spring Boot 41%

46%

Next.js 27%
68%

AngularJS 27%
62%

ASP. NET CORE 27%

35%

Vue.js 24%
27%

jQuery 24%
30% Web frameworks organizations are
WordPress 22% currently using
24%

Django 16%
16%

Express 16%
19% Web frameworks organizations are
Laravel 8%
8%
planning to use in the next 18 months
Flask 3%
3%

Other 3%
5%
3%
As a % of respondent companies
Ruby on Rails 5%

Amongst currently trending technologies in common use are JavaScript, HTML/ CSS, MySQL and
React technologies. Emerging technologies will drive demand over the next 18 months whilst
currently high-use areas will continue dominance.

10

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 Trending Cloud Platforms, Tools, and Frameworks/ Libraries
DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING CLOUD DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING TOOLS
PLATFORMS 89%
AWS 76% Git 89%
84%
73%
57%
Docker 81%
Microsoft Azure 68%
43%
Kubernetes 54%
35%
Google Cloud Platform 46% 32%
Terraform 41%
5%
Firebase 8% Yarn 19%
22%

19%
Other 5%
5%
Xamarin 22%

14%
5% Ansible 16%
Heroku 5%
11%
Unity 3D 14%
3%
Digital Ocean 3%
3%
Flow 5%
3%
Cloudflare 3% 3%
Other 3%

Cloud platforms organizations are currently using Other tools currently being used by respondent
organizations
Cloud platforms organizations are planning to use in Other tools organizations are planning to use in
the next 18 months the next 18 months
As a % of respondent companies As a % of respondent companies

DISTRIBUTION OF OTHER FRAMEWORKS AND LIBRARIES USED BY SURVEY RESPONDENTS

46%
.Net (5+) 51%

46%
With technologies such as
React Native 57% process automation, big data
43% platforms, machine learning
Spring Framework 54% and AI seeing growing
24% demand, frameworks,
Flutter 32%
platforms and libraries
.Net Framework (1,0 - 4,8) 24% supporting these such as
Automation Anywhere,
27%

RabbitMQ 22% React, .Net (5+), Spring

32%
Framework show growing
Apache Kafka 19%
29%
demand in the medium
term.
14%
Pandas 19%

11%
Hadoop 16%

8%
NumPy 11% Other Frameworks and Libraries currently used by
8% respondent organizations
TensorFlow 19%

Opencv 5%
5%
Other Frameworks and Libraries organizations are
planning to use in the next 18 months
3%
Torch/ PyTorch 5%

3%
As a % of respondent companies
Other 5%
11

Employability Skills Survey 2024

Trending Tools and Technologies in AI Development, Data
Analytics, and QA/Testing.

DISTRIBUTION OF AI DEVELOPER TOOLS

51%
GitHub Copilot
Deloitte predicts widespread
56%

integration of generative AI
(gen AI) in enterprise software,
8%
AWS CodeWhisperer 19%
offering varied pricing models.
8%
By 2024, a $10 billion revenue
Other 5% uplift is anticipated. Though
less than earlier forecasts, it
reflects a transition year with
Synk Code 3% cautious adoption, as
companies balance costs and
Codeium
ROI amidst chip shortages.
5%
Source: Generative AI revenue prediction |
Deloitte Insights

AI Developer tools organizations are currently using

AI Developer tools organizations plan to use in the next 18 months

As a % of respondent companies

In 2024, generative AI continues to gain traction, with enterprise spending expected to grow by
30%. While public models face challenges like factual errors and copyright issues, companies are
exploring private models trained on proprietary data. These efforts aim to unlock value in data,
drive productivity, and potentially influence decision-making in the C-suite and boardroom.
Source: Generative AI revenue prediction | Deloitte Insights

DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING DATA ANALYTICS & ENGINEERING TOOLS

Power BI 54%
81%

Tableau 32%
54%

Apache Kafka 24%

46%

Snowflake 16%
30%

Amazon Redshift 19%

41% Data Analytics & Engineering tools organizations
Airflow 14%
22% are using currently
Big Query 14%
19%
14% Data Analytics & Engineering tools organizations
Apache Spark 24%
are planing to use in the next 18 months
Other 11%
21%

Apacke Hive 5%
5%

Looker 3%
3% As a % of respondent companies
Segment 3%

12

Employability Skills Survey 2024

DISTRIBUTION OF QA/TESTING TOOLS OF RESPONDENT COMPANIES

70%
Selenium 73%

62%
Postman 62%

49%
Junit. Nunit, PHPUnit 54%

41%
SonarQube, Code Coverage 49%

35%
Cucumber 46%

32%
Browser Stack 32%

8%
Multi - Device Testing Tools 11%

Other 8%
16%
QA/ Testing tools organizations currently use
5%
Sauce Labs 8%
QA Testing tools organizations plan to use in the
Mentis Bug Tracker 3%
3%
next 18 months

As a % of respondent companies

DISTRIBUTION OF TRENDING OPERATING SYSTEMS THAT ARE IN USE

92%

65%
54%
49%

11% 11%

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) Unix/ BSD Android MacOS Linux -based Windows

As a % of respondent companies

13

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 IT Industry Employment and Graduate Hiring
Influence of emerging technologies has increased the demand for IT professionals equipped
with new skills required to meet the tech-enabled future workplace requirements

TOP 5 PROFESSIONS, CURRENTLY IN TOP 5 PROFESSIONS, TO BE EMPLOYED

EMPLOYMENT WITHIN NEXT 18 MONTHS

Software Engineering 92% Software Engineering 70%

Software Quality
65% Software Quality Assurance 51%
Assurance

Business Analysis 59%

Business Analysis 49%

UI Engineering 54%
QA Automation 46%

Software Project
54%
Management Software Project Management 43%

% of respondent companies % of respondent companies

DEMAND FOR TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS CURRENTLY IN EMPLOYMENT BY PRIMARY

NATURE OF BUSINESS

Software Engineering 14% 30% 8% 3%

QA Automation 14% 19% 3%

DevOps 14% 14% 16% 8%

UI Engineering 11% 30% 11% 3%

Software Quality Assurance 11% 22% 14% 3%

IT/ Technical Support 11% 11% 14% 3%

Database Development & Administration 11% 8% 14% 5%

Client Support 11% 16% 32% 5%

Business Analysis 11% 24% 24% 3%

User Experience 8% 22% 3%

System/ Network Engineering 8% 19% 30% 3%

Software Project Management 8% 24% 22% 3%

Scrum Master 8% 5% 3%

Data Science 8% 14% 19% 3%

Product Management 5% 19% 14% 3%

Cyber Security 5% 16% 27% 3%

Customer Experience 5% 8% 30% 3%

Risk & Business Continuity 3% 5% 16% 3%

Other 3% 11%

IT Product & Services Companies IT Services Company

IT Product Companies Other 14

Employability Skills Survey 2024

ANTICIPATED JOB OPENINGS FOR LOCAL HIRES: NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES OF
THE IT INDUSTRY

3%
5%
Q4 of 2024 5%
73%
14%

8%
Q3 of 2024 11%
70%
11%

11%
Q2 of 2024 3%
81%
5%

5%
Q1 of 2024 5%
78%
11%

More than 500 100 - 500 50 -100 Less than 50 Not Hiring

As a % of respondent companies

PERCENTAGE OF NEW HIRES THAT WILL BE NET ADDITIONS TO THE WORKFORCE

0 - 20% 38% 0 - 20% 59%

Replacement hires

20% - 50% 30% 20% - 50% 32%

New Hires

50% - 80% 19% 50% - 80% 8%

80% - 100% 14% 80% - 100%

As a % of respondent organizations As a % of respondent organizations

14% of respondent companies indicated that 80% – 100% of the aforementioned hires
will be new hires (increase in total number of employees).

15

Employability Skills Survey 2024

UNCONVENTIONAL HIRING STRATEGIES USED BY IT SECTOR COMPANIES FOR HIRING
THE RIGHT TALENT

• TALENT INCUBATORS - 46% of respondent companies have already implemented talent incubators
and 5% plan to do so in the near future (Industry training program for fresh graduates)..
• ONLINE & OFFLINE HIRING EVENTS - 78% of respondent companies have already implemented online
& offline hiring events and 11% plan to implement in the future.
• DIVERSIFIED/INCLUSIVE APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS - 73% of respondent companies have
already implemented diversified application & selection processes and 3% plan to implement in the
future.
• FOCUS ON EMPLOYER BRANDING STRATEGY - 73% of respondent companies are already focused on
employer branding & strategy and 14% plan to implement in the future.
• VR TECHNOLOGY - 3% of respondent companies are already utilizing VR technology for their hiring
requirements.

TOP TEN JOBS OF THE FUTURE FOR 2030 AND BEYOND, AS IDENTIFIED BY THE WORLD
ECONOMIC FORUM

Work-from-Home Facilitating: These professionals optimize remote work experiences.

Fitness Commitment Counselling: Predictive health counselling with digital wearables.

Smart Home Design Managing: Creating functional and tech-savvy living spaces.

Algorithm Bias Auditing: Ensuring fairness in AI decision-making.

Cyber Calamity Forecasting: Predicting and preventing cybersecurity incidents.

Human-Machine Teaming: Facilitating effective collaboration between humans &

machines.

Virtual Reality Experience Designing: Crafting immersive VR environments.

Climate Change Reversal Specialist: Mitigating environmental impact.

Digital Health Coaching: Guiding health management using digital tools.

Personal Data Broker: Managing and monetizing individual data while maintaining privacy.

90% of the top 10 jobs for the future identified by the World Economic Forum
require IT skills

Source: Top 10 Jobs of the Future - For 2030 And Beyond

16

Employability Skills Survey 2024

TOP CHALLENGES FACED BY EMPLOYERS IN THE IT INDUSTRY WHEN RETAINING THEIR
CURRENT EMPLOYEES

86%
76% • 83.7% find it difficult to hire new
65% 68%
employees with the amount of
experience they require

35%
• 95% find it challenging to find new
employees with the right
technical skills

• 81% agreed that there is an

Unrealistic expectations of employees increase in competition when
retaining or hiring highly skilled
Economic uncertainity
employees
Competitive compensation packages in the market
• 38% had to hire new employees
Losing good employees due to migration without the skills needed
Hybrid or remote environment

WHAT COMPANIES EXPERIENCED IN THE LAST 6 TO 12 MONTHS

51%

41%
38%

27%
19%

5%

Letting employees go because they lack technology skills

Needed to outsource some jobs because they didn’t have enough people with the right skills

Inability to complete key projects

Inability to meet innovation goals

Employee turnover hindering the company's ability to achieve goals

Delay in projects due to not having enough talent

51% of respondent companies have outsourced certain tasks due to the skills
mismatch.

17

Employability Skills Survey 2024

PREFFERED WORK MODE OF THE STAFF IN IT/ RELATED With 54% of respondents
TECHNOLOGY OR TECH ENABLED JOB ROLES indicating that they work
between 75% to 100% of their
11%
time in a hybrid setup. This
3% suggests a prevalent trend of
Onsite 5% blending remote and onsite work
51% environments to accommodate
30% flexibility and productivity.

22%
Conversely, onsite work is less
5% favored, with 51% of
Remote 8% respondents indicating they
30% spend less than 25% of their
35% time in this mode. These
statistics highlight the evolving
54%
nature of work arrangements
11% within the IT and tech sectors of
Hybrid 8% Sri Lanka, emphasizing the
11% growing importance of flexibility
16% and adaptability in the modern
workforce.
Between 75 -100% Between 50 - 75%
Between 25 - 50% Less than 25%
N/A

AGE DEMOGRAPHICS OF EMPLOYEES OF THE RESPONDENT COMPANIES IN THE IT SECTOR

18 - 26 age group 30%

27 - 34 age group 38%

35 - 44 age group 18%

45 - 54 age group 9%

55 and above age group 5% As a % of respondent companies

These percentages denote the proportion of individuals within different age brackets. This
v within the surveyed population or workforce,
breakdown offers insights into the age distribution
highlighting varying levels of representation across different age ranges.

18

Employability Skills Survey 2024

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION IN THE IT INDUSTRY
In Sri Lanka's IT sector, there has been
a commendable shift towards
gender balance and inclusivity over
Male population 63.24%
the past year. In 2024, males
constitute 63% of the workforce, a
decrease from 66% in 2023, while
female representation has increased
to 36% from 34%. This positive trend
Female population 36.08% reflects ongoing efforts to promote
gender equality in the industry.
Additionally, the representation of
non-binary, genderqueer, or gender
non-conforming individuals has seen
a notable rise to 0.68%, highlighting
Non - Binary population 0.68% the sector's growing commitment to
diversity and inclusivity, moving
towards a more equitable and
As a % of respondent companies inclusive industry in Sri Lanka.

GLOBAL IT INDUSTRY - DEMOGRAPHICS

1.Gender Discrimination: Women working in tech often experience gender

discrimination more frequently than their male counterparts. Approximately 57% of women in
the tech industry report having faced gender discrimination, compared to just 10% of men.
Additionally, nearly half of women (48%) perceive discrimination related to their technical
abilities, which is twice the rate among men. (World Economic Forum, 2021)

2.Gender Pay Gap: Women in tech express dissatisfaction with their current compensation
more often than men. While 35% of women are dissatisfied, only 29% of male colleagues share
the same sentiment. Interestingly, women are also less likely to negotiate their salary during
job changes compared to men. (World Economic Forum, 2021)

3.Retention Challenges: The tech industry faces challenges in retaining women. More
than 50% of women are likely to quit before the age of 35, and 56% are likely to quit by
midcareer. Efforts to improve retention and create an inclusive environment are crucial. (World
Economic Forum, 2023)

Workplace Diversity Matters. Diverse teams lead to better outcomes, including innovation
and profitability. Organizations must continue their efforts to promote diversity, equity, and
inclusion in the tech industry. Addressing gender disparity requires ongoing commitment to
creating an inclusive environment, promoting equal opportunities, and ensuring fair
compensation for all individuals in the IT industry.

Sources:
Why women are being driven out of the technology industry | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
In charts: the impact of gender and race in the tech industry | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

19

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 ORGANIZATIONS WHICH HIRE GRADUATES/ UNDERGRADUATES AS INTERNS

89% of respondent employers hire both graduates and undergraduates as interns. 8% of

employers hire only graduates, whereas 3% of employers hire only undergraduates. Reasons for
not hiring were, due to the time and effort required to make them job – ready, lack of experience
or because the organization does not require freshers as indicated by the participants.

New graduate hires made during the last 12 months

Recruitment target achieved
by respondent companies

Between 76 -100 41%

Between 51 - 75 19%

Between 26 - 50 5%

Less than 25 30%

There has been an increase in the
number of graduates hired when
None 5%
compared to 2021.
% of respondent companies

41% of respondent companies have

New undergraduate hires made during the last 12 months met over 75% of their graduate
recruitment targets, while 19%
Between 76 - 100 have achieved between 50% - 75%.
Recruitment target achieved by

38%
Conversely, 30% have attained less
respondent companies

Between 51 - 75 14% than 25% of their initial graduate

recruitment targets.
Between 26 - 50 3%
For undergraduate recruitment,
Less than 25 32%
38% of respondent companies have
surpassed 75% of their targets. 14%
None 14%
have achieved between 50% - 75%,
3% between 25% - 50%, and 32%
% of respondent companies less than 25% of their initial
undergraduate recruitment targets.

AVERAGE GENDER SPLIT OF GRADUATE HIRES

WITHIN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
In the context of recruiting IT
Male population 56.76% industry graduates, there is a
promising shift towards greater
inclusivity and diversity. While the
workforce consists of 29.73%
Female population 29.73% females and 56.76% males, the
significant presence of non-binary
individuals at 10.81% highlights the
industry's growing embrace of
Non - binary population 10.81% diverse gender identities.
Additionally, 2.70% of graduates
have opted from disclosing this
data. These trends indicate positive
Prefer not to say 2.70% strides towards a more inclusive
and welcoming tech landscape.
As a % of respondent companies 20

Employability Skills Survey 2024

THE REASONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO FILLING THE GRADUATE VACANT POSITIONS
43%

27%
22%

14% 14%

3%

Salary expectations were compatible with employer budget They had adequate soft skills
They had adequate technical skill levels Helps recognize their talent early
They bring fresh perspectives and ideas Other

Note: Responses were collected exclusively from companies that have achieved over 75% of their
recruitment targets.

CHALLENGES FACED BY RESPONDENT ORGANIZATIONS WHEN FILLING GRADUATE

VACANCY POSITIONS

Compared to 2021, there has been a 15% increase

in the supply shortage. The percentage of
graduates lacking adequate or compatible
technical skills has decreased by 7%, while there
has been a 6% improvement in soft skills.
Furthermore, companies have chosen to decrease
their graduate hires by 14%.

27%

32% 27%
16%
2021 2024

34%

22%
20% 16%
17% 16%

2% 3%

Lack of Graduates are Incompatible Graduates are Company Acquire good Not flexible to
availability of available, yet salary available, yet decision to skills but lacked work onsite
required talent inadequate/ expectations of inadequate/ scale down the required
(supply incompatible graduates incompatible graduate, skills in
shortage) technical skill soft skill levels intern/ communication
levels undergraduates and expresing
hires clearly

21

Employability Skills Survey 2024

Views on Education and Talent Development for IT
Industry Employment
PREFERRED TECHNICAL TRACKS OF EMPLOYERS IN THE IT INDUSTRY

Software Engineering 81%

92%

Quality Assurance & QA Automation 54%

57%
16%
Business Analysis 32%
32%
DevOps 30% • Software Engineering is the most
System engineering 22%
27%
sought-after skill, with 92% of
graduates and 81% of
Project management 14%
27% interns/undergraduates expressing
Cloud computing 11% interest.
22%

Product Management 11%

22% • Other notable tracks include Quality
16% Assurance & QA Automation, Business
IT Service Management 19% Analysis, and Cloud Computing.
Cyber Security 11%
19%
14%
• Fields like Robotics and Mechatronics
Data analytics 19% receive minimal attention.
Database & infrastructure management 5%
14%
• These insights help organizations align
Game development 5%
8% their talent acquisition strategies with
Animation 5% the evolving demands of the digital
5% landscape.
Blockchain 5%
3%
Robotics and mechatronics 3%
Interns/ Undergraduates Graduates
As a percentage of respondent companies

HIGH DEMAND DIGITAL SKILLS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING PUT INTO PRACTICE
Programming Literacy 73%

Cyber Security Literacy 43%

Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) 41%

Data Analysis and Statistics 38%

Data Science 32%

AI & IOT 30%

• Programming literacy is the most in-
Computational and Algorithmic Thinking 27%
demand skill, with 78% priority
Data Storage Technologies 24% among respondent organizations.
Digital Literacy 22% • Other essential skills include
Digital Collaboration 19% Software Development Life Cycle
(SDLC) (45%), Data Science (38%),
Human Computer Interaction 19% and Computational and Algorithmic
Digital Learning 16% Thinking (27%).

Information Management 16% • Organizations must continue

emphasizing these skills to foster
Digital Ethics 11%
innovation and stay competitive in
Computer Networking 11% the digital landscape.

Tech Translation and Enablement 8% As a percentage of respondent companies

22

Employability Skills Survey 2024

RESKILLING/ UPSKILLING STRATEGIES USED BY EMPLOYERS TO FUTUREPROOF THEIR STAFF

Professional networks 78% 8% 14%

E -Learning & micro learning modules 78% 3% 19%

Webinars 76% 8% 16%

Mentorship programmes 76% 16% 8%

E books 62% 3% 27% 8%

Personalized learning platforms 54% 8% 32% 5%

Case study approach 43% 8% 41% 8%

SLASSCOM Academy supported programmes 32% 30% 32% 5%

Podcasts 24% 14% 62%

SLASSCOM bootcamp 16% 30% 46% 8%

SLASSCOM Professional skills programme 14% 38% 41% 8%

SLASSCOM Future careers bridge 4% 24% 49% 14%

IBM Skills 3% 11% 70% 16%

Currently in use Planned to use Not in use Not aware

Future-proofing IT staffing involves anticipating skill gaps and implementing strategies to adapt
to the shifting technological landscape. Businesses can future-proof their operations by
embracing versatility over specialization, leveraging upskilling and reskilling, acknowledging
diversity as a path to innovation, and using predictive analytics to shape tomorrow's team
today. These strategies are not just about addressing current skill gaps but also about thriving
in a future where the IT landscape is unpredictable. Future-proofing is an ongoing process that
requires continuous adaptation and refinement of strategies to stay competitive and prepared.

SLASSCOM TALENT INITIATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN LEVERAGED TO MEET GRADUATE HIRING
NEEDS IN RESPONDENT ORGANIZATIONS

32%
30%

14%

8%

3% 3%

Graduates Undergraduates

G2C (Graduate to Corporate) SLASSCOM Initated Career Fairs Future Careers Bridge

23

Employability Skills Survey 2024

INVESTMENTS PER GRADUATE TO UPSKILL NEW HIRES TO A SATISFACTORY EMPLOYABLE
SKILL LEVEL

Exceeding 6 Months 14% More than 500,000 3%

3 Months - 6 Months 38% 250000-500000 19%

3 Weeks - 3 Months 35% 100,000 - 250000 41%

Less than 3 weeks 11% Less than 100,000 11%

N/A 3%
N/A 3%

Time invested on graduates to up -skill them by Investment per graduate made by

respondent organizations respondent companies during the traing
period

AVERAGE MONTHLY STAFF LEVELS AT WHICH THE GRADUATES

SALARY/ALLOWANCE PAID PER ARE PLACED IN THE IT INDUSTRY
GRADUATE, INTERN/UNDERGRADUATE

5% 3%

Undergraduates 3%

27%

57%

27%
19%

11% 65%

Graduates 41%

8%

14% Entry staff level (0 -1 years of experience)

250,000 or more One level up from entry staff level (1 - 3 years of

200,000 -250,000 experience)

100,000 - 200,000 Two levels up from entry staff level (3 - 5 years

50,000 - 100,000 of experience)
Less than 50,000 Other

24

Employability Skills Survey 2024

THE SRI LANKAN TALENT POOL COMBINES TECHNICAL AND COGNITIVE SKILLS DEVELOPED
THROUGH A STRONG FOUNDATION OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
STUDIES

No. of students who sat for the Advanced Level Examination:

2023 (2024) - 269,613 2022 (2023) - 263,933

(Qualified for University - 173,444) (Qualified for University - 166,938)

Total Undergraduate Enrolment in

Universities & HEIs (UGC) – 2022
Computer Science = 26,253
Technology = 11,321
Sources: UGC Statistics

TOP PRIVATE SECTOR OR SEMI- GOVERNMENT SECTOR INSTITUTES FOR GRADUATE HIRING
BASED ON THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS
68%
62%

35%

14% 14%
8% 8% 5% 3%

Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology Informatics Institute of Technology

National School of Business Management APIIT
General Sir John Kotalawela Defence University National Institute of Business Management
Sri Lanka Technological Campus ESOFT Metro Campus
Horizon Campus

TOP PUBLIC SECTOR INSTITUTES FOR GRADUATE HIRING BASED ON THE SURVEY
RESPONDENTS
76% 73%

27%
22%
16%
8% 5% 5% 3%

University of Colombo University of Moratuwa University of Peradeniya

University of Kelaniya University of Sri Jayawardenepura University of Ruhuna
Sabaragamuwa University Uva Welllassa University University of Jaffna
25

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS EXPECTED FROM THE HIRES BASED ON EMPLOYER PRIORITY,
FROM NEW GRADUATE HIRES.

Team Work 59%

Analysis And Problem Solving 50%

Communication Skills (Writing, Oral, Presenting) 48%

The Ability To Acquire New Knowledge 31%

The Ability To Come Up With New Ideas And Solutions 30%

Decision Making Skills 28%

Knowledge of Methodologies, Tools and Processes 24%

Conceptual Skills 22%

Theoretical Skills 20%

Demonstrating Responsibility At Work 17%

Strategic Thinking 11%

Business Acumen 6%

Leadership Skills 4%

SKILL LEVEL SATISFACTION FOR GRADUATES RECRUITED FROM POPULAR HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTES
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology 3.3 2.8 3.3 3.2 3.1

Informatics Institute of Technology 3.3 2.9 3.4 3.1 3.1

National School of Business Management 3.4 2.7 3.4 3.1 3.2

Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) 3.0 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.8

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3

University of Colombo 3.2 3.1 2.8 3.4 3.0

University of Moratuwa 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.4 3.4

University of Peradeniya 3.2 3.4 2.8 3.4 3.2

University of Sri Jayewardenepura 3.6 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.5

University of Kelaniya 3.3 3 3.1 3.1 3.1

Team work Analysis and Problem Solving

Communication Skills (Writing, Oral, Presenting) Ability to acquire New Knowledge
Ability to come up with New Ideas/ Solutions

Note: Based on survey responses, horizontal bar represents the satisfaction level across top skill levels sought by
employers and performance of graduates recruited from a selection of higher education institutes (average score
with 1 – lowest and 5 - highest)
26

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 SLASSCOM Corporate Office,
C/O Elegance,
31, Queen's Road, Colombo 03
Email: corpoffice@slasscom.lk
Web: www.slasscom.lk

This document is a collaborative effort between SLASSCOM and Deloitte, intended for informational purposes only. While we have taken utmost care to ensure
the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the information presented in this report, SLASSCOM does not make any representations or warranties, express or
implied, regarding the accuracy, suitability, or applicability of the content. Users of this report are encouraged to independently verify the information and
consult relevant experts or professionals before making any decisions based on the report's findings. SLASSCOM disclaims any liability for any direct, indirect,
incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of the use or reliance upon this report, or any information contained herein.
27

Employability Skills Survey 2024

 Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively,
the “Deloitte organization”). DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and
independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable
only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn
more.

Deloitte Asia Pacific Limited is a company limited by guarantee and a member firm of DTTL. Members of Deloitte Asia Pacific Limited and their related
entities, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity, provide services from more than 100 cities across the region, including Auckland,
Bangkok, Beijing, Bengaluru, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, New Delhi, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore,
Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo.

This communication contains general information only, and none of DTTL, its global network of member firms or their related entities is, by means of this
communication, rendering professional advice or services. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your finances or your business,
you should consult a qualified professional adviser.

No representations, warranties or undertakings (express or implied) are given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this
communication, and none of DTTL, its member firms, related entities, employees or agents shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage
whatsoever arising directly or indirectly in connection with any person relying on this communication.

©2024 Deloitte Advisory Services (Pvt) Ltd

28

Employability Skills Survey 2024