Labour migration increases in Sri Lanka: SLBFE

Sri Lanka's labour migration has increased by 286 percent in the last two decades, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) said.

They said a total number of 105, 821 people have embarked to secure foreign employment this year via self-employment and licensed foreign employment firms. 

The number of people who travelled overseas for self-employment in the first five months of 2022 was 67, 156 (excluding foreign employment agencies). This comprises of 30,040 male  and 17,121 female employees. 

"Some 38, 665 people have gone overseas during this year for jobs via licensed foreign employment agencies comprising of 25, 224 women and 13, 441 men. The breakdown is as follows: 12,701 travelled to Kuwait, 11,000 to the UAE, and 1,754 to South Korea, "they said.

Countries that hire foreign employees have recently made positive attempts to expand the field of international employment through positive measures such as immunization and quarantine facilities, more training options, and online registration. 

The security and welfare facilities for foreign employees have also been greatly improved at the embassy level, the SLBFE said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)