COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Asitha Udaya Priyantha has found the dream job: the 22-year-old is already his own boss, cruising Sri Lanka’s streets in his autorickshaw, earning good money on his own time.
But this is not what the island government wants its young people doing as one million jobs in booming sectors such as construction go unfilled, and businesses look abroad for laborers to get work done.
It is a puzzling scenario for Sri Lanka, which for decades has exported labor to the Middle East and reaped the foreign exchange flowing back to an island impoverished from years of war.
But now, amid an economic upswing, the government is trying to lure them back, offering competitive wages and other sweeteners to get workers into blue-collar jobs at home where they are needed.
Policymakers are also being urged to tap another source of underutilized labor: the glut of tuk-tuk drivers on Sri Lanka’s roads.
There are 1.2 million auto drivers in Sri Lanka — far more than is needed for a small island of 21 million, says the union representing tuk-tuk drivers.
The United Three Wheel Drivers and Industry Association says most of the newcomers swelling the already oversaturated ranks are young men keen to make a quick buck.
“The trend is for young people to start driving a three-wheeler no sooner they get a license,” said Rohana Perera, association secretary of the national United Three Wheel Drivers and Industry Association.
“If we continue like this we will not have young people to do any other job in the country.”
School leavers only need 50,000 rupees ($333) for a down payment on a three-wheeler, money they can raise easily in loans from family, he added.
Priyantha was attracted to the profession after growing tired of the low pay and long hours at his regular job in a photo studio.
“I saved some money and bought a three wheeler and now I am my own boss,” Priyantha said.
“I have more freedom and I earn twice as much.”
The union wants the government to increase the minimum working age for rickshaw drivers from 18 to 35 to curb the flow of new recruits flooding the overcrowded roads.
There have also been calls for an import ban on trishaws from neighboring India to curtail supply.
The Professional Three Wheel Drivers’ Association blames Sri Lanka’s lack of vocational training for young graduates getting behind the wheel instead of taking up better paying jobs in under filled sectors.
“Unless there are radical changes to prepare school leavers for gainful employment, they will take a short cut and start driving three wheelers,” the association’s Nishantha Perera said.
The drain of young workers into tuk-tuks compounds a labor crisis for the government, which has overseen robust economic growth since the 37-year civil war ended in 2009.
The construction industry, undergoing an unprecedented post-war boom, has been forced to turn to India, Bangladesh and Nepal for the 400,000 workers it needs to build the hotels and condominiums springing up in Sri Lanka’s cities.
Advertisements aimed at Nepali workers placed in industry magazines promote $450-a-month salaries plus annual return airfares and health and accident insurance.
Some construction companies are giving away motorcycles and small cars as incentives to retain skilled workers who commit to two to five years of service.
The government meanwhile hopes rising wages and economic optimism will encourage some of the estimated two million Sri Lankan workers abroad to return home and enjoy the good times.
“Already in the construction industry, the wages are comparable with what is offered in Middle Eastern countries,” said Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lanka’s finance minister.
“I am sure many will prefer to return because they will be closer to their families and working conditions are much better here (in Sri Lanka).”
They will be sorely needed. The government expects to create more than a million new jobs within three years as major investments, especially in a new financial zone in the capital Colombo, begin to take shape.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wants Sri Lankans — whether at home or abroad — filling those vacancies.
“I am not asking for a large number of foreign workers to come in, but there should be a way of attracting our own Sri Lankans back here with higher incomes,” he said.
Sri Lanka wants more hard hats, less tuk-tuks to ease labor crisis
Sri Lanka wants more hard hats, less tuk-tuks to ease labor crisis
Fitch reaffirms Saudi Arabia at A+ on fiscal, external strength
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign credit rating was affirmed at A+ with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings, reflecting the Kingdom’s strong fiscal and external balance sheets.
In its latest report, Fitch said Saudi Arabia continues to benefit from large sovereign net foreign assets and substantial fiscal buffers, including government deposits and other public-sector holdings.
These strengths place the Kingdom well above both “A” and “AA” peers on key balance-sheet metrics, the agency said.
The latest rating action comes as the Kingdom continues to navigate the impact of lower oil prices while advancing its economic diversification agenda.
Underscoring the strength of Saudi Arabia’s economic growth, the World Bank earlier this month said the Kingdom’s gross domestic product is expected to expand by 4.3 percent in 2026 and 4.4 percent in 2027, up from an expected 3.8 percent in 2025.
In its latest report, Fitch stated: “Oil dependence, World Bank Governance Indicators and vulnerability to geopolitical shocks have improved but remain weaknesses.”
It added: “Deep and broad social and economic reforms implemented under Vision 2030 are diversifying economic activity, albeit at a meaningful cost to the balance sheets.”
The US-based agency added that Saudi Arabia’s reserves are projected at 11.6 months of current external payments in 2026, well above the peer median of 1.9 months.
The Kingdom’s sovereign net foreign assets are expected to decline due to higher borrowing but will remain a clear credit strength, at 41.2 percent of GDP at end-2026, compared with a peer median of 3.6 percent.
Fitch also forecast a widening of the current account deficit to 4.3 percent of GDP in 2026 from an estimated 3 percent in 2025, reflecting the cost of imported inputs linked to high domestic spending and a small increase in oil export receipts.
“The deficit should narrow slightly in 2027 as revenues benefit from higher oil export volumes, new export facilities coming on stream and higher tourism inflows, supported by slower import growth from lower project spending,” it said, adding that external borrowing and a further reorientation of public assets to domestic from foreign investments should keep reserves stable.
Fiscal deficit to narrow
Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit is expected to narrow to 3.6 percent of GDP by 2027 after lower oil revenues and overspending pushed it to an estimated 5 percent in 2025.
Oil revenues are expected to rise from 2025 as higher production offsets the impact of lower prices.
“Non-oil revenues will continue to benefit from buoyant economic activity and improved collection techniques. Fitch assumes spending growth will be low, as capex has likely peaked and measures are in place to contain current spending,” added the report.
Solid growth and reform momentum
According to the report, Saudi Arabia’s economy is expected to expand by 4.8 percent in 2026, following an estimated 4.6 percent growth in 2025.
This expansion will be driven by higher oil production, reflecting OPEC+-related output increases over 2025, as well as robust growth in the non-hydrocarbon sector.
“Prospects for the non-oil sector remain healthy, underpinned by reform, high levels of government and GRE (government-related entities) spending, new projects coming on stream and buoyant consumer spending,” said the report.
Earlier this month, a separate analysis by Standard Chartered echoed similar expectations, forecasting the Kingdom’s GDP to expand by 4.5 percent in 2026, outperforming the projected global growth average of 3.4 percent, supported by momentum in both hydrocarbon and non-oil sectors.
In October, the International Monetary Fund said Saudi Arabia’s economy is projected to expand by 4 percent in both 2025 and 2026.
Fitch added that reform momentum remains strong, citing recent steps including a new investment law and a greater opening of the real estate and stock markets to foreign investors.
“A removal of fees on some expat workers in the industrial sector highlights an understanding of the need to ease near-term bottlenecks. Nonetheless, the resilience of non-oil growth to a period of lower government and GRE spending remains to be tested,” said Fitch.
The report also underscored the health of Saudi Arabia’s banking system, noting that credit growth and high net interest margins have supported profitability.
Over the first three quarters of 2025, capital adequacy edged up to 20 percent, while non-performing loans fell to an all-time low of 1.1 percent.
“Credit growth is slowing owing to macroprudential measures, but should remain just above nominal non-oil GDP growth,” Fitch said, adding that lending growth has continued to outpace deposit growth, leading to a further deterioration in the sector’s net foreign asset position. “However, this remains relatively small compared to total assets of the banking sector and is in stable forms,” it added.
Potential rating sensitivities
Fitch said greater non-oil revenue generation or rationalisation of expenditure, while maintaining the strength of the wider public-sector balance sheet, could support an upgrade of Saudi Arabia’s rating.
A continuation of economic reforms that underpin strong non-oil growth, combined with higher oil prices, could also improve the Kingdom’s credit profile.
On the downside, a deterioration in public finances or a major escalation of geopolitical tensions could lead to a downgrade.
In March 2025, S&P Global also raised Saudi Arabia’s rating to ‘A+’ from ‘A’ with a stable outlook, citing the Kingdom’s ongoing social and economic transformation.
In December, the Public Investment Fund secured an inaugural A-1 short-term credit rating with a stable outlook from S&P Global Ratings, marking a milestone for the sovereign wealth fund as it strengthens its global financial standing.
S&P said the rating reflects PIF’s “robust balance sheet, strong liquidity position, and disciplined financial management,” and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s own short-term sovereign rating.
