The Employers’ Symposium 2025, organized by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), is set to take place on 28 February at Monarch Imperial. This highly anticipated event among EFC’s member companies and business stakeholders will focus on the theme “Traversing Turbulence – Fueling Enterprises for Success.”
The symposium will feature distinguished panellists from various business sectors who will address key issues under three main segments. One of the sessions, titled “Economic Environment: Employment Strategies to Overcome Economic Challenges,” will feature Ernst & Young Sri Lanka’s Director – Business Consulting, Talal Rafi, discussing the economic crisis and strategies for revival. He highlights fiscal discipline, digitisation, and supply chain strengthening as crucial lessons for businesses that weathered economic turbulence.
Rafi emphasises that better financial management, reduced debt, and improved liquidity practices are vital for resilience. He also points out that businesses with strong digital transformation strategies demonstrated greater efficiency and adaptability. Addressing the balance between IMF conditions and social expectations, he stresses the need to protect vulnerable populations while implementing structural reforms for long-term growth. These reforms include labour laws, state-owned enterprise (SOE) restructuring, trade and investment policies, land regulations, and educational reforms.
Adding to the discussion, Nestlé Lanka PLC Managing Director Bernhard Stefan, another panellist for this session, will share firm-specific strategies to navigate economic crises. Having led Nestlé Lanka during Sri Lanka’s economic downturn, Stefan expresses optimism about the country’s resilience and growth potential. He highlights how Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) played a pivotal role during the crisis, demonstrating entrepreneurial adaptability despite financial constraints.
Stefan underscores that financing remains a major challenge for MSMEs and suggests that established corporations can support them through knowledge-sharing and capability-building initiatives. He advises businesses to continuously innovate and adapt to ensure sustained growth in a dynamic economic landscape.
The EFC Symposium 2025 is expected to serve as a platform for businesses to voice their concerns and influence policy decisions, fostering a more resilient and progressive economic environment in Sri Lanka.