Sri Lanka, Jan. 20 -- The national minimum wage for private sector employees will rise effective January 1, 2026, following the National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025.

Commissioner General of Labour H.M.D.N.K. Wataliyadda announced that the minimum monthly salary for a private sector worker climbs from 27,000 LKR to 30,000 LKR. Correspondingly, the minimum daily wage increases from 1,080 LKR to 1,200 LKR.

This legislation applies equally to workers employed through intermediaries or contractors. Both the immediate employer and the principal employer share responsibility for ensuring these payments. Employers must also apply this updated wage scale when calculating statutory payments, including EPF, ETF, overti...