A person working as a Laboratory Technician in Sri Lanka typically earns around 66,800 LKR per month. Salaries range from 32,700 LKR (lowest) to 104,000 LKR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Laboratory Technician salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Laboratory Technician salaries in Sri Lanka range from 32,700 LKR per month (minimum salary) to 104,000 LKR per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 68,100 LKR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 68,100 LKR while the other half are earning more than 68,100 LKR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 45,400 LKR while 75% of them are earning more than 45,400 LKR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Laboratory Technician(s) are earning less than 87,900 LKR while 25% are earning more than 87,900 LKR.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning 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
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Laboratory Technician salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Laboratory Technician with less than two years of experience makes approximately 38,800 LKR per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 49,900 LKR per month, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 68,800 LKR per month, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Laboratory Technician(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 85,200 LKR per month, 24% 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 91,300 LKR per month, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 97,400 LKR per month, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 38,800 LKR | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 49,900 LKR |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 68,800 LKR |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 85,200 LKR |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 91,300 LKR |
20+ Years | +7% | 97,400 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 Laboratory Technician salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of a Laboratory Technician is 48,400 LKR per month.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 77,700 LKR per month, 60% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 48,400 LKR | |
Master's Degree | +60% | 77,700 LKR |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Sri Lanka costs anywhere from 449,000 Sri Lanka Rupee(s) to 1,350,000 Sri Lanka Rupee(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Laboratory Technician employees in Sri Lanka earn 10% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 69,400 LKR | |
Female | -9% | 62,900 LKR |
Laboratory Technician(s) in Sri Lanka are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 17 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 rarely 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
Banking | 6% | |
Energy | 3% | |
Information Technology | 9% | |
Healthcare | 6% | |
Travel | 3% | |
Construction | 9% | |
Education | 6% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Sri Lanka for the year 2020. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Laboratory Technician is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
71% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 29% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 29% | |
No Bonus | 71% |
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 fix 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 average salary for Laboratory Technician is 40% less than that of Healthcare Technical. Also, Healthcare Technical salaries are 17% less than those of Health and Medical.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Academic Clinician | 189,000 LKR | ![]() |
Admitting Officer | 70,100 LKR | ![]() |
Ambulance Dispatcher | 67,900 LKR | ![]() |
Ambulance Driver | 62,600 LKR | ![]() |
Ambulance Officer and Paramedic | 76,300 LKR | ![]() |
Ambulatory Services Director | 141,000 LKR | ![]() |
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor | 168,000 LKR | ![]() |
Anesthesia Technician | 102,000 LKR | ![]() |
Anesthesiologist | 283,000 LKR | ![]() |
Anesthesiology Assistant | 99,000 LKR | ![]() |
Assistant Optometrist | 80,800 LKR | ![]() |
Audiologist | 174,000 LKR | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineering Director | 131,000 LKR | ![]() |
Biomedical Engineering Technician | 69,200 LKR | ![]() |
Cardiac Technician | 67,000 LKR | ![]() |
Cardiovascular Specialist | 364,000 LKR | ![]() |
Cardiovascular Technologist | 139,000 LKR | ![]() |
Central Sterile Processing Technician | 81,100 LKR | ![]() |
Charge Entry Specialist | 90,800 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Application Specialist | 82,700 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Biochemist | 158,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Cytogeneticist | 135,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Data Reviewer | 83,100 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Development Specialist | 104,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Field Associate | 83,700 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Genetic Technologist | 133,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Microbiologist | 179,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Molecular Geneticist | 150,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Neuropsychologist | 188,000 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Research Coordinator | 97,900 LKR | ![]() |
Clinical Scientist | 184,000 LKR | ![]() |
CME Specialist | 148,000 LKR | ![]() |
CT Technologist | 88,600 LKR | ![]() |
Cytogenetic Technologist | 133,000 LKR | ![]() |
Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | 102,000 LKR | ![]() |
Dispensing Optician | 82,800 LKR | ![]() |
Dosimetrist | 126,000 LKR | ![]() |
EKG Technician | 83,200 LKR | ![]() |
Endoscopic Assistant | 78,400 LKR | ![]() |
Endoscopy Technician | 76,900 LKR | ![]() |
Enterostomal Therapist | 124,000 LKR | ![]() |
Epidemiologist | 148,000 LKR | ![]() |
FGP Ultrasound Techncian | 77,800 LKR | ![]() |
Health Systems Specialist | 109,000 LKR | ![]() |
Health Technologist | 123,000 LKR | ![]() |
Healthcare Data Analyst | 90,800 LKR | ![]() |
Hearing Aid Specialist | 97,300 LKR | ![]() |
Histotechnologist | 120,000 LKR | ![]() |
Immunologist | 164,000 LKR | ![]() |
Industrial Hygienist | 124,000 LKR | ![]() |
Infection Control Coordinator | 90,800 LKR | ![]() |
Infection Control Practitioner | 192,000 LKR | ![]() |
Infection Preventionist | 139,000 LKR | ![]() |
Informatics Practice Specialist | 106,000 LKR | ![]() |
Interventional Radiographer | 150,000 LKR | ![]() |
Lab Assistant | 70,400 LKR | ![]() |
Laboratory Manager | 126,000 LKR | ![]() |
Laboratory Technician | 66,800 LKR | ![]() |
Low Vision Therapist | 153,000 LKR | ![]() |
Mammography Technician | 68,500 LKR | ![]() |
Medical Coder | 64,500 LKR | ![]() |
Medical Courier | 50,700 LKR | ![]() |
Medical Equipment Preparer | 74,500 LKR | ![]() |
Medical Forms Designer | 58,600 LKR | ![]() |
Medical Technologist | 78,900 LKR | ![]() |
MRI Technologist | 71,000 LKR | ![]() |
Music Therapist | 110,000 LKR | ![]() |
Neonatologist | 200,000 LKR | ![]() |
Neurodiagnostic Techncian | 74,800 LKR | ![]() |
Neuropsychology Testing Assistant | 67,400 LKR | ![]() |
Nuclear Medical Technician | 99,100 LKR | ![]() |
Nuclear Medicine Technolgoist | 105,000 LKR | ![]() |
Nutrition Assistant | 69,500 LKR | ![]() |
Occupaitional Therapy Assistant | 74,700 LKR | ![]() |
Operating Room Scheduler | 65,900 LKR | ![]() |
Operating Room Services Director | 205,000 LKR | ![]() |
Ophthalmic Assistant | 78,600 LKR | ![]() |
Ophthalmic Laboratory Technician | 78,900 LKR | ![]() |
Optician | 160,000 LKR | ![]() |
Orthopedic Technician | 76,800 LKR | ![]() |
Orthoptist | 220,000 LKR | ![]() |
Orthotist | 200,000 LKR | ![]() |
Pathology Assistant | 72,500 LKR | ![]() |
Perfusionist | 226,000 LKR | ![]() |
Phlebotomist | 57,000 LKR | ![]() |
Pre Authorization Case Manager | 108,000 LKR | ![]() |
Prosthetist | 180,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiation Therapist | 254,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiation Therapy Technologist | 106,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiographer | 167,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiography Technologist | 106,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiologic Technologist | 103,000 LKR | ![]() |
Radiology Technologist | 101,000 LKR | ![]() |
Respiratory Care Practitioner | 189,000 LKR | ![]() |
Respiratory Therapist | 150,000 LKR | ![]() |
Respiratory Therapy Technician | 83,400 LKR | ![]() |
Sonographer | 102,000 LKR | ![]() |
Sonography Technologist | 102,000 LKR | ![]() |
Speech and Language Pathologist | 157,000 LKR | ![]() |
Ultrasonographer | 81,800 LKR | ![]() |
Ultrasound Technologist | 80,300 LKR | ![]() |
Vascular Technologist | 75,400 LKR | ![]() |
X-Ray Technologist | 104,000 LKR | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Colombo | 77,200 LKR |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Sri Lanka earn 8% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 86,000 LKR | |
Public Sector | +8% | 92,500 LKR |