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Sri Lanka to stop sending workers as housemaids; Over 300,000 registered as expats in 2022
COLOMBO (News 1st) – Sri Lanka will stop sending workers overseas to serve as housemaids from March 2023, said the country's Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara on Monday (19).He said that a program will be introduced to send Sri Lankans as domestic aides overseas by adopting an international standard.The Minister said that measures will be taken to ensure that Sri Lankans leave for overseas employment via legal channels, and for their earnings to be remitted to the country legally.The Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment said multiple programs will be introduced for the benefit of Sri Lankan expatriates, including the provision of a vehicle import permit, and a pension scheme.Sri Lanka recently opened a special gate named the ‘HOPE GATE’ at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, for workers leaving and returning from foreign countries, where all necessary facilities are provided to expatriate workers at the airport.The Minister said that for the first time in the history of the country, the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau registered and facilitated over 300,000 expatriate workers in 2022.A majority of these workers have travelled to Kuwait, and that figure is 76,579.In addition, a total of 69,992 people left for Qatar, and another 51,421 people left for Saudi Arabia for employment.A further 4,410 Sri Lankans left for Japan for employment as well.