EFC’s Employers’ Symposium concludes tabling solutions for resilient business

The Employers’ Symposium 2025 organised by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) took place on 28 February at the Monarch Imperial after a respite of more than five years owing to the COVID pandemic and the socio-economic unrest which prevailed in the country. The Employers’ Symposium of the EFC which has previously deliberated on relevant, important thematic areas focusing on different subjects concerning business, returned this year under the banner – “Traversing turbulence – Fuelling enterprises for success”. The event was a houseful bringing together top business leaders, representatives from the EFC’s member-companies and many other business stakeholders to be privy to invigorating deliberations and discussions on urgent business needs of the hour. 

In his opening remarks, EFC Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody noted that, as the country navigates an era of unprecedented change, collaboration between employers, policymakers and industry leaders is essential in building a resilient, competitive, and an inclusive business ecosystem. “The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon remains committed to supporting Sri Lankan enterprises through this transformation and I encourage all participants to engage actively, share their expertise, and embrace new perspectives that will empower them to drive meaningful change within their organisations. By adopting a proactive, united approach, we can build a stronger and more sustainable future for businesses and the workforce of Sri Lanka,” remarked Weerakkody.

Acknowledging that the EFC is one of the strongest employer and business member organisations in Asia and even globally, ILO Bureau for Employers Activities Director Deborah France-Massin in her keynote address further said that the organisation has stood the test of time and reaching its centenary is proof of that. “During these long years, the EFC and its members have traversed much turbulence and navigated their way through great vigour and vitality with the support of professional leadership, responsible members and credibility gained over the years from the business community and the wider public. It is a strong position to build a future from.”

Encapsulating the validity of the broad thematic areas of the symposium, the ILO official illustrated them further with insights from a global perspective. Enterprise growth, job growth and climate growth together depend on a workforce equipped with necessary skills and the EFC can be part of the national green skills strategies and knowledge exchange programmes, provider of training and research and be a liaison between the private and public sector, noted France-Massin. “There has to be clarity on transition. Transition towards what and at what cost? Answering this question will lead to hard policy decisions,” she said.

Commenting on the shift in workplace dynamics/demographics, France-Massin remarked: “Long standing fundamentals of retirement and savings are changing. But the view of millennials should not be ignored. They see this world of work in a completely different way, and we need to use a different lens in order to capture their talent into the businesses we represent.”

France-Massin who is armed with many years of experience in labour and social affairs at national, European and international levels stated that the traditional industrial relations will be heavily impacted by digitalisation, alternative income earning mechanisms, the emergence of platform economy, and the emergence of AI. “The world of work is moving fast, and Sri Lanka needs to move fast but together,” she averred. 

The three broad sessions of the symposium on responding to ecological, demographic and regulatory environment through responsible and sustainable business initiatives, responding to technological environment – fostering a technologically savvy workforce including social security in the context of the rapidly expanding platform economy and employment strategies to overcome economic challenges, have emphasised among other pertinent takeaways, the importance of national policies, particularly the national economic policy complementing the labour policies of the country, remarked EFC Director General Vajira Ellepola. “We believe that the deliberations of the Symposium would have shaped and directed the thinking of all stakeholders towards finding solutions to navigate this turbulent period and drive businesses to be resilient and successful.” 

The Employers’ Symposium which was successfully concluded also marked the launch of the EFC mobile app which enables the users to access the latest news and services of the EFC.