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Front page of a GLI policy brief. It says "GLI Policy Brief | December 2025 Falling behind: Minimum wage-setting in Sri Lanka’s apparel industry, By Jason Judd, Avi Hossain and Brian Wakamo" with an image of Sri Lanka garment workers at the top of the page and the ILR Global Labor Institute and Cornell University logos at the bottom of the page.

Falling behind: Minimum wage-setting in Sri Lanka’s apparel industry

Sri Lanka has revised its national minimum wage, including wages for its 360,000 apparel workers, in 2024 and 2025 and again in 2026—a period of profound economic change for the country. We provide in this policy brief an analysis of the government’s wage-setting process and changes in the minimum wage’s value and purchasing power over the last 15 years. Our analysis takes account of the impacts of Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis and compares wage-setting in competing apparel industries, including a close look at wage-setting in one of Sri Lanka’s competitors, Cambodia. We conclude with policy recommendations for government, manufacturers, workers and their organizations and the leading buyers of Sri Lankan apparel.

READ THE REPORT HERE

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