Engineer brain drain not second to other professionals leaving the country

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Association of Public Service Engineers (APSE) revealed that government departments, ministries, and local government bodies currently have only 1,000 engineers in their employ. This number represents only 66 percent of the approved cadre, according to Eng. L.S. Sooriyabandara.

Eng. Sooriyabandara, a representative of the Association of Public Service Engineers (APSE), noted that the organization comprises engineers affiliated to various departments, ministries, and local government bodies.

Explaining the current trends, he said that “while the approved cadre is 1530, the current count stands at approximately 1000 engineers. A significant portion of them has either already left the country in search of greener pastures, or are on the verge of leaving.

Sooriyabandara highlighted that the process of producing a chartered engineer requires a span of eight years. During the period, from 2000 to 2020, Sri Lanka witnessed the implementation of numerous infrastructure projects, including the construction of approximately 20 large tanks, several highways, and thousands of buildings, he noted.

“We need to maintain such constructions. For example, there are over 10,000 schools and we need to maintain the buildings to ensure that our children are safe. Now engineers are not recruited because those in power believe there are no new projects. Meanwhile one third of engineers attached to the state have left,” he said.

Sooriyabandara, who serves in the Irrigation Department, emphasized their responsibility for overseeing the consistent water supply to 800,000 acres and maintaining more than 360 major tanks. He highlighted the gravity of such a responsibility and expressed concern about the challenges posed by severe staff shortages. Furthermore, he noted that a significant number of engineers are receiving inadequate compensation for their work.

Former Assistant secretary of APSE Damith Dissanayake reported a staggering 300 percent increase in the brain drain among engineers compared to 2019. He revealed that in 2023 alone, more than 5,000 engineers overall have left Sri Lanka. Among all the professionals who departed the country in 2023, approximately 40 percent were engineers, highlighting a significant trend of skilled professionals relocating.

Dissanayake said there is the high international recognition of Sri Lankan engineering degrees, noting that engineers can relocate to 123 countries without undergoing country-specific examinations. He highlighted that the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) has entered into the Washington Accord. Consequently, engineering degree programmes accredited by the IESL are recognized as equivalent to four-year engineering degree programmes by other signatories to the Washington Accord.

“If a doctor wants to migrate to Australia, he or she has to sit for two exams by the Australian Medical Council. The second exam is very difficult and about 70 percent of applicants fail. But a Sri Lankan engineer does not have to sit for such an exam. It’s easier to migrate and there are always opportunities for engineers,” he said.

Dissanayake stressed the need for the government to raise the initial salary for engineers to 300,000 rupees, a significant increase from the current 79,000 rupees. While acknowledging that this might appear as an unrealistic raise, he emphasized that the repercussions of not providing a substantial salary increment to engineers could have devastating consequences.

“Even the private sector faces a shortage of engineers. At this rate, the government will have to seek the services of foreign engineers to maintain our infrastructure,” he said.

Dissanayake said the engineers also want the government to fill the large number of vacancies that exist in the system.

“Brain drain is a big problem in Sri Lanka. I am not talking about engineers alone. You look at any sector and the best professionals are leaving. No country has developed by depleting its professionals. The government must provide a living wage to workers, give them professional dignity and in the case of the government sector, it must fill the large number of vacancies that exist. Most professionals attached to the government sector are stressed because he or she now does the work of two or three people,” he said.