The current potential global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market of USD 11.5 billion is expected to grow ten-fold to around USD 120-150 billion in the near future. However, Sri Lanka only recently started emerging as a potential destination for outsourced work.
Given that the BPO industry is in its infant stages in Sri Lanka, there is a dearth of quantitative and qualitative information regarding the sector. LIRNEasia was commissioned by the Information and Communication Technology Association (ICTA) of Sri Lanka to conduct a baseline sector analysis of the BPO industry in Sri Lanka.
The study identifies factors that attract BPO-related investments into Sri Lanka and also potential constraints to such investment growth. Although not designed to be a policy document but a nuts-and-bolts study of an emerging industry, the findings are useful to understand the broad requirements of BPO service providers and facilities necessary to create an enabling environment for the further growth of this sector.
Specific objectives of the study include:
- Obtaining information on the range of BPO services offered in Sri Lanka
- Identifying factors that have made BPO companies locate in Sri Lanka
- Identifying the requirements and constraints posed by infrastructure and human resources to expand business prospects
- Identifying direct and indirect impacts on employment generation in Sri Lanka
- Identifying potential legislative and regulatory changes that are needed to promote the sector.
A draft report is now available for comment here:
Baseline sector analysis of the BPO industry of Sri Lanka ver 3.1
The final report is now available for download HERE
3 Comments
srikanthan
dear sir
please explain what is bpo .
how wecan joint work.
we expect him ur halp soon.
srikanthan
harsha de silva
A discussion based on this report will be aired on Channel 1 MTV’s “Biz 1st Economic Analysis” on friday 6 October at 9:30 pm. (Sri Lanka viewers)
Rohan Samarajiva of LIRNEasia and the ICT Subcommittee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Suresh Bartlet, Program Director of ICTA will be my guests.
Harsha de Silva
admin
This post is now closed for comments. Comments can be made to the newer post where you may also download the final version of the report:
http://www.lirneasia.net/2006/09/baseline-sector-analysis-of-the-bpo-industry-in-sri-lanka/
LIRNEasia Senior Research Manager Gayani Hurulle at the Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka 2026
The Internet Governance Forum Sri Lanka (IGF Sri Lanka) 2026 was held on 23 September under the theme ‘Empowering the Internet in the Age of Intelligence through Multistakeholderism’. The event brought together stakeholders from government, industry, academia, civil society and the technical community to discuss key issues in internet governance.
Is Personally Identifiable Information safe in the hands of the State?
In an article published on 25 September 2026 in the DailyFT, LIRNEasia Chair Professor Rohan Samarajiva discusses the risks of the state holding large amounts of personally identifiable information (PII). He looks at the misuse of electoral-registry information during the July 1983 pogrom, which critics of public-service digitalisation, particularly the Sri Lanka Unique Identity (SLUDI), cite as a reason for extreme caution, if not halting such initiatives.
LIRNEasia is hiring: Senior Researcher
LIRNEasia is looking for a talented individual to join the team as a Senior Researcher to drive impactful research. The full job description can be accessed below.
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