Migrant workers' remittances to top Rs. 300b next year

By Anura Maitipe

Sri Lanka will be able to increase the current annual remittances of migrant workers from the present Rs. 226 billion to 300 billion next year with the expansion of the labour market in the Middle East countries, Chairman, Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, Suraj Dandeniya told the Sunday Observer.

Employment opportunities for Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East countries have further expanded following the soaring oil prices in the World Market. The private sector has secured 30,000 employment opportunities for drivers this year.

The government and private sector employment agencies should make use of this opportunity to increase Sri Lanka's workforce in the Middle East. Compared to year 2005 the number of migrant workers has dropped by 13 percent in the year 2006. This resulted due to political instability and the war situation that prevailed in some of these countries.

With the soaring oil price savings in Middle East countries have increased rapidly.

The construction Industry, service sector and infrastructure development have further expanded in these countries. If this situation is properly handled Sri Lanka will be able to recover from the setback suffered in 2006. The Vocational Training Institute will have to play a major role to train more skilled workers to meet the needs of the Middle East labour market, he said.