Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Rises in 2024

News Today: Foreign employment for Sri Lankans sees a notable increase in 2024.

Foreign employment for Sri Lankans has seen a notable increase in 2024. The Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau reported a 15% rise in foreign employment for July, with 28,758 workers securing jobs abroad compared to 25,025 in the same month last year.

Over the past seven months, a total of 187,796 Sri Lankans have left the country for foreign employment. Among these, 110,939 individuals secured employment on their own, while 76,857 went through employment agencies.

The Middle East remains a popular destination, with 42,481 workers heading to Kuwait and 31,265 to Saudi Arabia. However, there has been a significant surge in the number of Sri Lankans applying for jobs in Israel. In 2023, only 1,912 Sri Lankans went to work in Israel, but this number has increased to 5,128 in 2024, reflecting a rapid growth in demand for employment in Israel.

In addition to the increase in foreign employment, the receipt of foreign remittances has also seen a substantial rise. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka reported that the country received USD 566.8 million in remittances in July 2024 alone. For the first seven months of 2024, the total remittances from migrant workers amounted to USD 3.71 billion, highlighting the significant contribution of foreign employment to the national economy.

The Sri Lankan Foreign Employment Bureau continues to encourage skilled and unskilled workers to explore opportunities abroad, which not only benefit the workers themselves but also contribute positively to Sri Lanka’s economic growth.