Youths, business leaders urge Govt to expand job opportunities

RAD­HI­CA DE SIL­VA

As the Gov­ern­ment pre­pares to un­veil its 2027 Bud­get to­day, un­em­ployed youths, en­tre­pre­neurs and trade union­ists are call­ing for more im­me­di­ate op­por­tu­ni­ties to earn a liv­ing, gain work ex­pe­ri­ence and build skills, even as the coun­try pur­sues eco­nom­ic di­ver­si­fi­ca­tion through aqua­cul­ture, agro-pro­cess­ing and da­ta cen­tres.

With young peo­ple strug­gling to break in­to the work­force, job cre­ation is emerg­ing as a key con­cern, with calls for em­ploy­ment pro­grammes and in­vest­ment in sec­tors be­yond the tra­di­tion­al en­er­gy in­dus­try.