Internet penetration increases to 66%

The internet penetration in Sri Lanka accelerate leaps and bounds after the COVID pandemic and from 30% in 2022 it has now increased to 66% said Program Manager, World University Services of Canada Michelle Joseph at a Uber organized event where report on mobility was released.

She said that due to this the access to mobility could increase female workforce by over 8% by 2028 in Colombo. “With ride-hailing boost to women over 50,000 more women will join the workforce in Colombo. This bump up could result in a boost to the size of Colombo city’s economy by over 3%.”

Country Lead – Rides, Uber Sri Lanka, Kaushalya Gunaratne, said, “Greater women’s participation in the workforce is vital for Sri Lanka to realize its economic potential.”

“This research by Oxford Economics highlights how safe, reliable commuting options through ride hailing can bring in more women to join the workforce.” Lead Economist, Oxford Economics, Bali Kaur Sodhi, said, “Women around the world still participate less than men in paid work. The issue is not that women are less educated or less qualified; it largely reflects the fact that women still take the burden of household and care work, especially in emerging markets. This report that was launched by Uber gives an evidence-based policy recommendation for adoption of technology in helping remove mobility barriers for women to enter the workforce or move up in their careers.”

The research report also draws from a survey conducted on-ground in Sri Lanka. In partnership with Uber, Oxford Economics conducted a survey of Uber riders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the ride-hailing behavior of women and men across Colombo. Women in Sri Lanka have lower labour force participation rates than their global peers. Compared with a worldwide female labour force participation rate of 47% in 2022, the figure for Sri Lanka was just 32%. As per the report, the two biggest challenges to women’s mobility are a lack of access to safe transport and the current imbalance in their work-family arrangements.

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