A person working as Labourer in Sri Lanka typically earns around 23,000 LKR. Salaries range from 12,000 LKR (lowest) to 35,200 LKR (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Labourer salaries in Sri Lanka vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 12,000 LKR |
Median 20,900 LKR |
Maximum 35,200 LKR |
Salaries for the position Labourer in Sri Lanka range from 12,000 LKR (starting salary) to 35,200 LKR (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 20,900 LKR, half of the professionals who work as Labourer in Sri Lanka earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Labourer in Sri Lanka earn less than 17,300 LKR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 23,700 LKR while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Labourer in Sri Lanka compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 13,500 LKR to 18,500 LKR. About 20% of salaries are below the 13,500 LKR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 18,500 LKR to 20,800 LKR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 20,800 LKR.
0 - 2 Years | 13,600 LKR | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 18,200 LKR |
5 - 10 Years | +30% | 23,700 LKR |
10 - 15 Years | +21% | 28,700 LKR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 31,300 LKR |
20+ Years | +5% | 33,000 LKR |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Labourer and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 13,600 LKR.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 18,200 LKR, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 23,700 LKR, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 28,700 LKR, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 31,300 LKR, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 33,000 LKR, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
High School | 16,100 LKR | |
Certificate or Diploma | +43% | 23,100 LKR |
Bachelor's Degree | +38% | 31,900 LKR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Labourer in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 16,100 LKR.
At this level, the average salary becomes 23,100 LKR, 43% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 31,900 LKR, 38% more than the previous level.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Labourer in Sri Lanka, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 10%.
Male | 24,300 LKR | |
Female | -9% | 22,100 LKR |
Individuals working as Labourer in Sri Lanka are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
75% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 25% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 3% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 25% | |
No Bonus | 75% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Labourer in Sri Lanka is 69 LKR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Construction / Building / Installation | -100% | |
3D Printing Construction Technician | 59,800 LKR | +160% |
Adjudicator | 35,700 LKR | +55% |
Assembler | 29,300 LKR | +27% |
Boat Builder and Shipwright | 44,000 LKR | +91% |
Bricklayer | 25,300 LKR | +10% |
Building Administrator | 40,500 LKR | +76% |
Building Automation Engineer | 88,600 LKR | +290% |
Building Contracts Manager | 127,000 LKR | +450% |
Building Information Modeling Manager | 120,000 LKR | +420% |
Building Inspector | 38,700 LKR | +68% |
Building Monitor | 29,600 LKR | +29% |
Building Sales Manager | 130,000 LKR | +470% |
Building Systems Integration Specialist | 79,500 LKR | +250% |
Cabinetmaker | 31,800 LKR | +38% |
Carpenter | 35,500 LKR | +54% |
Civil Engineer | 88,400 LKR | +280% |
Civil Technician | 44,500 LKR | +94% |
Concreter | 27,900 LKR | +21% |
Construction and Building Inspector | 36,700 LKR | +60% |
Construction and Maintenance Manager | 67,900 LKR | +200% |
Construction Assistant | 35,900 LKR | +56% |
Construction Coordinator | 51,900 LKR | +130% |
Construction Data Analyst | 79,000 LKR | +240% |
Construction Estimator | 57,900 LKR | +150% |
Construction Field Engineer | 74,100 LKR | +220% |
Construction General Manager | 154,000 LKR | +570% |
Construction Inventory Officer | 31,100 LKR | +35% |
Construction Manager | 167,000 LKR | +630% |
Construction Operations Manager | 142,000 LKR | +520% |
Construction Project Controls Manager | 114,000 LKR | +400% |
Construction Project Coordinator | 89,000 LKR | +290% |
Construction Project Engineer | 88,400 LKR | +280% |
Construction Project Manager | 155,000 LKR | +570% |
Construction Project Planner | 82,800 LKR | +260% |
Construction Quality Control Manager | 116,000 LKR | +400% |
Construction Robotics Engineer | 93,000 LKR | +300% |
Construction Safety Officer | 57,900 LKR | +150% |
Construction Superintendent | 54,800 LKR | +140% |
Construction Supervisor | 87,900 LKR | +280% |
Construction Technical Assistant | 33,500 LKR | +46% |
Construction Technical Officer | 39,200 LKR | +71% |
Construction Technical Writer | 34,200 LKR | +49% |
Construction Technician | 31,200 LKR | +36% |
Construction Waste Management Consultant | 88,300 LKR | +280% |
Construction Worker | 25,400 LKR | +10% |
Crane and Tower Operator | 29,400 LKR | +28% |
Crane Operator | 31,200 LKR | +36% |
Diesel Mechanic | 28,800 LKR | +25% |
Digital Construction Manager | 94,700 LKR | +310% |
Draughtsman | 27,700 LKR | +20% |
Drywall Installer | 31,000 LKR | +35% |
Electrical Draftsman | 31,000 LKR | +35% |
Electrical Engineering Supervisor | 93,100 LKR | +300% |
Electrical Engineering Technician | 37,100 LKR | +61% |
Electrical Supervisor | 64,100 LKR | +180% |
Electrician | 43,400 LKR | +89% |
Elevator Installer and Repairer | 38,600 LKR | +68% |
Engineer | 84,500 LKR | +270% |
Excavator Operator | 30,500 LKR | +33% |
Field Inspector | 53,500 LKR | +130% |
Floor Finisher | 32,500 LKR | +41% |
Floor Manager | 51,300 LKR | +120% |
Foreman | 24,400 LKR | +6% |
Frame and Truss Detailer | 28,500 LKR | +24% |
Furniture Finisher | 28,600 LKR | +24% |
Gas Technician | 29,100 LKR | +27% |
Handyman | 26,000 LKR | +13% |
Health and Safety Coordinator | 37,200 LKR | +62% |
Health and Safety Officer | 42,400 LKR | +84% |
Installation Manager | 100,000 LKR | +330% |
Installer | 27,500 LKR | +20% |
Insulation Installer | 31,400 LKR | +37% |
Labourer | 23,000 LKR | +0% |
Land Surveyor | 38,500 LKR | +67% |
Lean Construction Specialist | 84,200 LKR | +270% |
Lift Technician | 30,600 LKR | +33% |
Maintenance Foreman | 27,100 LKR | +18% |
Material Tester | 44,700 LKR | +94% |
Model Maker | 44,000 LKR | +91% |
Order Picker | 26,700 LKR | +16% |
Painter | 28,300 LKR | +23% |
Pipe Layer | 24,300 LKR | +6% |
Pipe Welder | 25,000 LKR | +9% |
Pipefitter | 24,400 LKR | +6% |
Plumber | 32,100 LKR | +40% |
Prefabrication and Modular Construction Specialist | 83,000 LKR | +260% |
Property Coordinator | 72,800 LKR | +220% |
Purchasing Manager | 106,000 LKR | +360% |
Quantity Estimator | 54,300 LKR | +140% |
Quantity Surveyor | 56,800 LKR | +150% |
Roof Slater and Tiler | 27,100 LKR | +18% |
Sheet Metal Mechanic | 30,000 LKR | +30% |
Sheet Metal Worker | 27,100 LKR | +18% |
Site Clerk | 29,300 LKR | +27% |
Site engineer | 79,000 LKR | +240% |
Site Leader | 140,000 LKR | +510% |
Stock Controller | 44,700 LKR | +94% |
Structural Steel Construction Worker | 33,200 LKR | +44% |
Sustainable Materials Engineer | 84,800 LKR | +270% |
Technical Draughtsman | 35,300 LKR | +54% |
Tender Manager | 131,000 LKR | +470% |
Tendering Manager | 123,000 LKR | +430% |
Tower Crane Operator | 28,800 LKR | +25% |
Wall and Floor Tiler | 29,000 LKR | +26% |
Warehouse Manager | 102,000 LKR | +340% |
Welder | 26,300 LKR | +14% |
Welding Superintendent | 33,500 LKR | +46% |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Sri Lanka is 8% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 86,300 LKR | |
Public Sector | +8% | 92,900 LKR |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 20,900 LKR and 23,700 LKR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Labourer in Sri Lanka ranges from 12,000 LKR to 17,300 LKR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary