Sri Lanka has a ‘bloated state sector’ problem, and much of it stems from politicisation and poor policy decisions. Moving forwards, it is right to enact much needed state sector reforms, and make the Government ‘smaller’. 

However, Sri Lanka needs to be smart in going about it. There is no quick fix for the issue, and unless you clearly identify where the ‘fat’ is – knee-jerk reforms may also cut away ‘muscle’ and even bone. A body can do with its fat being trimmed, but not without muscle and bone, both which are essential and take a long time to build and are slow to replenish. The bitter truth is that while there are large numbers of ‘types’ of state sector employees, some who have been recruited on political agenda, there is also a smaller demography of highly skilled professionals, who also make up the state sector cadre. When it comes to complex skill-sets, there is little or no room to trim there; there is no fat.

Last week, The Daily Morning and The Sunday Morning wrote about how staff shortages, along with lack of funding and proper maintenance is making the smooth operation of the Suwa Seriya ambulance service, with it struggling to fill 400 vacancies, with only 50 out of nearly 700 applicants keen to join, citing poor pay. The ambulance service offers to the Sri Lankan public an invaluable service. High number of vacancies available due to skilled migration and regulations which had halted hiring for nearly two years. Here in blanket state requirement freezes, and red tape on pay scales, prevent Emergency Medical Technicians from being paid a reasonable wage for the high stress, long hour’s service they provide. Therefore, the incentive to remain, and join, is lost.

Likewise, there are other services in the state sector which are struggling to retain skilled professionals, be it in the health sector, in higher education and teaching, in utility services or even the armed forces, critical national services are increasingly finding themselves short-handed, and the situation has significantly affected the quality and frequency of services offered to the public. The state of affairs is no different in the private sector, with cost of living soaring, and little or no pay increments over the last several years, Sri Lanka’s skilled workforce is looking for a new place to call home, or at least to work. Professionals from the budding Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, the veteran apparel industry and even some in the plantation industry are migrating, leaving many vacancies unfilled.

Recently, one of the few remaining child psychiatrists in Sri Lanka posted a picture with two other colleagues on social media, captioning the picture as ‘75% of child psychiatrists in Sri Lanka’. This is in a country where it is believed that one in four Sri Lanka suffer some form of mental disorder. It was also reported that there are long standing vacancies for consultant psychiatrists in 21 out of 24 base hospitals, District General Hospital (DGH) and Teaching Hospitals in the island. Experts say that on average it takes around 12-14 years to train a consultant psychiatrist.

Same situation applies to teachers and educators. Many highly skilled and experienced higher education lectures and teachers are leaving in droves, once again triggered by economic hardships faced locally. However, with a recruitment freeze on, the vast gaps they leave in the education system of the nation, are not being filled. The impact on education that comes from such circumstances will likely only be visible in the next decade, like that of poverty and malnutrition, which is ongoing, especially in the vulnerable communities below the poverty line. There are thousands of vacancies for teachers, but the State is not recruiting. And given the pay offered, even if the State recommences to fill the gaps, it is unlikely that the best and brightest will be attracted.

The Government, which is clearly struggling to get its priorities in right order, must realise that blanket freezes and sector-wide trimmings to reduce state expenditure, will only look good on their balance sheet. Such action will have more costly results down the line, as multiple crises from recruitment red-tape and poor pay will only snowball to bigger problems later. 

If Sri Lanka is serious about mapping out its recovery plan for the next half a decade or so, then it needs to get wise about state sector employment and recruitment. When trimming the fat, it is best to use a scalpel, and not a hatchet.