COLOMBO, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's economic crisis had a devastating impact on the construction sector, resulting in the loss of approximately one million jobs, the parliament media unit said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Sectoral Oversight Committee, tasked with finding ways to mitigate the fallout of the crisis, released the data during a recent session held in parliament, the statement said.
Many construction companies have gone bankrupt, and a large number of qualified professionals have left the South Asian country, it said.
Industry representatives also presented a document detailing over 50 problems they currently face.
The committee instructed officials to classify these problems into short-, medium- and long-term issues and name the relevant institutions that should solve them.
The committee also asked the relevant ministries to lower the price of construction materials immediately.
Construction had been one of the key contributors to the Sri Lankan economy until 2022.
The industry faced major issues last year due to the soaring construction materials prices caused by high inflation. ■