By The Pulseline News Desk
Sri Lanka lost around 10,000 agricultural jobs overseas after only 2,000 of 12,000 opportunities secured during the previous government were filled by Sri Lankan workers, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe said.
He attributed the loss to poor handling of overseas employment opportunities and fraudulent and corrupt practices that have undermined the country’s ability to capitalise on international labour demand.
Wickramasinghe said the SLBFE was taking legal action against employment agencies and individuals involved in such practices, while strengthening its regulatory role.
“Foreign employment is not simply about sending people abroad,” he said, stressing that the Bureau is also responsible for regulating recruitment, protecting migrant workers and developing their welfare.
He made the remarks while addressing Sri Lankans preparing to leave for employment in Israel.
Israel remains a sought-after destination
Wickramasinghe said Israel had become a highly sought-after destination among Sri Lankan workers because of strong labour demand and comparatively high salaries.
He rejected claims that employment opportunities offered by Israel had declined because jobs were being channelled through private recruitment agencies, describing the claim as “completely incorrect and misleading.”
He said private agencies were an essential part of the foreign employment system and that the Bureau could not send the same number of workers overseas without their contribution.
Around 300,000 Sri Lankans leave the country annually for foreign employment through legal channels, according to Wickramasinghe.
Government-facilitated programmes account for around 5,000 workers annually to Israel, 5,000 to South Korea and 1,000 to Japan.
Of around 125,000 Sri Lankans who have gone abroad for employment, approximately 11,000 were sent through Government intervention, while the remaining 114,000 found employment through registered agencies or their own arrangements.
Focus on regulation and worker welfare
Wickramasinghe said the Bureau’s responsibility extended beyond recruitment to regulating the sector and ensuring the welfare of migrant workers.
He said legally earned remittances from overseas workers remained an important contributor to the economy and that the Government would continue developing Sri Lanka’s foreign labour force.
The SLBFE has also introduced new welfare measures for returning migrant workers.
Registered workers who have returned to Sri Lanka are now eligible for housing loans of between Rs.500,000 and Rs.1 million. The Bureau is also working on a concessionary scheme to assist with interest payments on such loans.
Insurance compensation has also been arranged for families of migrant workers who die while overseas.
The measures come as the Government seeks to expand legal foreign employment while tightening oversight of recruitment practices and ensuring that available international job opportunities translate into actual placements for Sri Lankan workers.
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