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/
The Many Approaches to Caring in Ageing Societies of South and Southeast Asia
As societies grow older, their needs too evolve, with greater pressure on care systems being widely acknowledged as a critical issue. Broadly, care work involves supporting the physical, mental and development needs of people either directly or indirectly, while a care system refers to its overall organization (UN, 2024).
FutureWORKS Asia Network Meeting 2026: Brings Researchers Together in Bangkok
From 9–12 June 2026, FutureWORKS Asia convened its annual Network Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together researchers from both cycles of funded projects for the first time. While Cycle 1 teams were nearing the completion of their research and beginning to translate their findings into policy recommendations, Cycle 2 teams were in the early stages of their research.
Expert Consultation on the CHIPS Digital Economy Assessment for Sri Lanka
On 17 July 2026, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Digital Economy (MoDE), together with LIRNEasia, organized an Expert Consultation on the CHIPS Digital Economy Assessment for Sri Lanka. The session was conducted with funding support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
9A 1/1, Balcombe Place
Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2026 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific