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| Sunday, 18 August 2002 |
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Overseas jobs for over 89,000 Sri Lankans in 6 months Over 89,000 Sri Lankans have secured foreign employment which continues to help in easing the unemployment situation in the country. Official sources at Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau said that according to latest statistics, a total of 89,987 persons have obtained jobs overseas in the first six months reflecting an increase of 3.6 per cent over the same period in the previous year, (86,834). The bulk of the demand of 73 per cent was for unskilled workers of which, 56 per cent of them being females as a result of increased demand for housemaids in Middle Eastern countries, mainly, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon and United Arab of Emirates. The Middle East has accounted for the largest share of about 95 per cent of the total departures, despite the fact that salaries and wages in those countries have stagnated over a long period. New employment opportunities wee also found in some of the fast developing Asian countries such as South Korea and Singapore. The government continued to improve and expand facilities for training people for foreign employment as it has become a major source of foreign exchange earner and reduced the domestic unemployment burden, the sources said. It is also revealed that 183,808 Sri Lankans have secured foreign jobs in year 2001, while 561 per cent of them are housemaids. Eighty per cent of housemaids are employed in the Middle East and other Gulf countries with the rest in other countries such as Maldives, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Greece |
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