Saudi Arabia has ranked first in providing work opportunities to Sri Lankan expatriates in 2023, as over 63,000 of them found employment in the Kingdom.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, P.M. Amza said that in 2023 expatriate remittances amounted to over US$ 7 billion, of which a significant portion, 15 to 20 percent was contributed by expatriate workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
“KSA has become the number one country during 2023, generating 63,000 employment opportunities for Sri Lankans,” he told the Arab News yesterday.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are a preferred choice for Sri Lankan workers, with KSA being their key destination, lately also attracting skilled professionals to its megaprojects such as NEOM under Vision 2030.
These projects, in addition to a new employment scheme under the Skills Verification Program (SVP), were the main factors making the KSA increasingly attractive to Sri Lankans, according to Amza.
The SVP agreement signed in March aims to improve the professional competence of employees in the Saudi labour market and ease the recruitment process of skilled workers from the island nation.
Under the deal – which covers 23 professions – Saudi employers recognise accreditations issued by Sri Lanka’s Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC).
“The year 2023 has seen the qualitative and quantitative increase of employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in the KSA,” Amza said, adding that while half of Sri Lankan expatriates have been employed in the domestic sector, this year showed growth in the number of those working in the construction and hospitality sectors.
“The signing of the agreement on the SVP between the two countries has also contributed to this increase of skilled and professional categories of employment, which stood at nearly 12,000 during 2023.”
