Abstract:
Sri Lanka's post-war economy faces persistent challenges, including slow growth and
high unemployment among educated youth. Structural unemployment is particularly
severe among management graduates, with 27.7% unemployed, and the overall youth
unemployment rate reached 24.74% in 2022. This highlights the urgent need for
alternative career pathways, with entrepreneurship emerging as a key solution to
reduce graduate unemployment and promote economic development. Emotional
intelligence plays a critical role in shaping entrepreneurial intention by enhancing
decision-making, resilience, and adaptability, which are essential for graduates
transitioning from traditional employment to entrepreneurial ventures. This study
examines the impact of emotional intelligence through emotional appraisal and
expression, emotion regulation, and emotion utilization on entrepreneurial intention.
A stratified random sample of 384 respondents was selected from a population of
14,250 students across five leading private universities. Data were collected via an
online structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS (v21). Reliability analysis
showed Cronbach's alpha values above 0.7 for all variables, confirming internal
consistency and measurement validity. Regression results indicated that emotion
appraisal and expression (B = 0.553, p < 0.05), emotion regulation (B = 0.463, p <
0.05), and emotion utilisation (B = 0.378, p < 0.05) significantly influenced
entrepreneurial intention, with appraisal and expression being the strongest predictor.
All hypotheses were supported. The findings suggest that enhancing emotional
intelligence through experiential learning, mentoring, and workshops can strengthen
graduates' entrepreneurial motivation, providing a pathway to reduce unemployment.
Universities and policymakers should implement programmes that integrate
theoretical knowledge with practical entrepreneurial skills to improve graduate
employability and contribute to sustainable economic growth in Sri Lanka.
