A new article published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed Sri Lanka’s youth employment challenge firmly in the global spotlight, warning that the country’s highly educated young people are facing one of the most difficult job markets in Asia at a time when artificial intelligence, economic uncertainty, and shifting labour market demands are transforming the world of work.

The paper, titled Graduating into Uncertainty, examines the challenges confronting a record generation of young people entering the workforce across developing economies. According to the analysis, approximately 1.2 billion young people are expected to enter labour markets in developing countries over the next decade, creating the largest youth workforce in modern history.

While the publication explores trends across Asia and other emerging economies, Sri Lanka stands out for a more troubling reason.

According to figures cited in the IMF publication, unemployment among highly educated young people in South Asia is particularly severe, with Sri Lanka recording graduate unemployment of around 43 percent, one of the highest rates highlighted in the report. The figure underscores a persistent challenge where thousands of young Sri Lankans complete higher education but struggle to secure employment matching their qualifications and expectations.

The publication notes that youth unemployment frequently affects the most educated segment of the population, reflecting a widening mismatch between university education and labour market requirements. As industries increasingly adopt new technologies, employers are demanding different skills from graduates than those traditionally taught through many academic programmes.

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Dr. Hasini Rangika Epa Arachchi achieved extraordinary recognition at the University of Colombo General Convocation by receiving 16 gold medals for her exceptional academic performance in the Faculty of Medicine. Serving as the Valedictorian for her MBBS batch, Dr. Hasini obtained First Class Honours across all five academic streams, including the Final MBBS examination.

Her historic achievement culminated in her securing the first place island wide on the common merit list of MBBS graduates for medical internship appointments, alongside receiving the prestigious Professor Tilak Hettiarachchy Award for Academic Excellence.

Throughout her undergraduate career, Dr. Hasini consistently demonstrated academic mastery, regularly earning Dean’s List Awards and securing the Mitsubishi UFJ Foundation Scholarship. Beyond her clinical and academic coursework, she has actively contributed to medical scholarship through published research on mental health among pregnant women and diagnostic markers for scrub typhus.

She has presented her findings at major scientific forums, including the Sri Lanka Medical Association Annual Scientific Sessions, and continues active research in dengue and interstitial lung disease.

Her unprecedented sweep of 16 gold medals out of the 32 awarded for the entire MBBS program stands as a powerful testament to her dedication, discipline, and scholarly rigor.

The University of Peradeniya has been ranked the top university in Sri Lanka in the latest 2026 rankings released by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

The rankings assess universities based on indicators including educational outcomes, graduate employability, faculty quality, research, and overall performance.

The University of Peradeniya was ranked 1,695th among 21,291 universities worldwide.

The university administration said the ranking represents significant recognition of its international-level performance in education and research.