Over 692,461 Sri Lankans have taken up overseas jobs from January 2022 till to date. According to a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), 310,953 Sri Lankans had gone abroad for jobs in 2022 and 297,620 Sri Lankans had gone for overseas jobs in 2023. About 83,888 Sri Lankans had gone for overseas jobs during the past four months of this year.
Kurunegala District Senior Divisional Secretary, Administration, R.M. Jayaratne told a meeting of foreign job seekers of the Kurunegala district yesterday that Sri Lankans who had gone for overseas jobs and foreign tourists who visit Sri Lanka have contributed immensely to overcome the current economic crisis.
Over 806,698 foreign tourists arrived in Sri Lanka during the past four months of this year. Moreover, 22,047 foreign tourists visited Sri Lanka in the first five days of May and most of them – 4,351 were Indian tourists, he said. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) sources said that Sri Lankans employed abroad had remitted US$ 3,789.5 million to Sri Lanka in 2022. In 2023, Sri Lankans employed abroad had sent US$ 5,399.8 million and US$ 963 million during the past four months of this year.
About 300,000 skilled Sri Lankans will be sent abroad this year for lucrative jobs as most Sri Lankans prefer overseas jobs due to the economic crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.
