Reading the Sri Lankan gazette: a beginner's guide

Many of the best-paying government positions in Sri Lanka — from Sri Lanka Administrative Service roles to posts at statutory bodies like the Central Bank (CBSL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — appear first in the Government Gazette. If you've been limiting your search to LinkedIn and commercial job boards, you're seeing only a fraction of the market.

What the gazette actually is

The Sri Lanka Government Gazette (ගැසට් පත්‍රය in Sinhala, வர்த்தமானி in Tamil) is the official journal of the Government of Sri Lanka, published by the Government Press. Every legal notice, statutory appointment, examination vacancy, and departmental regulation that requires public notification appears here.

Two types matter for job seekers:

• The Ordinary Gazette — Published every Friday. Contains routine notifications, regulations, and some appointments.
• The Extraordinary Gazette — Published on an ad hoc basis, often Tuesdays or Thursdays. This is where urgent recruitment notices and examination announcements land. Most government job openings appear here.

Where to find it

You don't need to travel to the Government Publications Bureau on D.R. Wijewardena Mawatha in Colombo 10, though physical copies are available there. The full gazette is accessible online at documents.gov.lk — the site is basic but functional, organised by year and date.

For job seekers, bookmark the Extraordinary Gazette section. Each PDF is named by date and gazette number, so once you know the pattern, scanning for new postings takes about ten minutes a week.

Set a calendar reminder for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. New extraordinary gazettes are typically uploaded within 24 hours of printing.

How to read a recruitment notice

Government job listings follow a standardised format, but the language can be dense. Here's what to look for:

• Title of the vacancy — Usually in bold, in all three official languages.
• Grade and cadre — The specific service (e.g., Sri Lanka Engineering Service, Sri Lanka Accountants Service) and grade within it.
• Qualifications — Academic and professional requirements. Note whether the qualification must be recognised by a specific body — engineering roles require IESL recognition; accounting roles often require ICASL membership.
• Age limits — Government roles almost always carry a maximum age cutoff, typically between 28 and 45, depending on the role and whether internal candidates are being considered.
• Application deadline — A hard date. Missing it by even one day means your application is invalid, with no exceptions.
• Where to send the application — The relevant ministry, department, or commission address is specified in the notice.

The three exam pathways

Most gazette-advertised roles lead to one of three processes:

1. Open competitive examination — Advertised publicly; anyone meeting the qualifications can apply. Conducted by the Department of Examinations.
2. Limited competitive examination — Open only to serving public servants within a defined service or grade.
3. Interview-based selection — Less common at entry level, but typical for senior posts and statutory board appointments.

For Grade I and II posts, expect a written paper first. The exam syllabus is usually referenced in the gazette notice itself or available from the recruiting department on request.

Mistakes first-timers make

• Applying with unverified qualifications. If the notice says your degree must be recognised by a specific body, confirm recognition before applying. An unverified certificate from a private institution can void your application entirely.
• Using ordinary post when registered post is required. The gazette notice specifies the postage type. Ignore this requirement and your application doesn't count.
• Missing photograph and stamp specifications. Government applications typically require a specific photograph size — 1.5" × 2" is common — affixed in a particular way. Read the notice carefully rather than assuming standard practices apply.
• Submitting photocopies instead of certified copies. "Certified copies" means notarised by a Justice of the Peace or Commissioner for Oaths, not a photocopy from the corner shop.

Making it part of your weekly routine

If public sector work interests you, the gazette should sit alongside your regular job board checks. Fifteen minutes on documents.gov.lk each week, filtering for extraordinary gazettes in your relevant service categories, is enough. Keep a simple spreadsheet of open notices, closing dates, and exam stages.

Every CBSL economist, every senior engineer at the Road Development Authority, every BOI official applied after reading a notice exactly like the ones published this week. The gazette is dry reading — but it is also where government careers begin.