The report quoting statistics from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Promotion (SLBFEP), mentioned that 1.56 lakh Sri Lankan youths had left for various countries, mainly West Asia, since January this year
The migration of Sri Lankan youths to West Asian cities in search of jobs has affected the job prospects of Indians, especially those from Kerala, who account for a major share of Indians who work in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, reported The Hindu. The report quoting statistics from the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Promotion (SLBFEP), mentioned that 1.56 lakh Sri Lankan youths had left for various countries, mainly West Asia, since January this year.
The Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in GCC countries said that the migration from Sri Lanka could replace a section of the workforce from other countries, including from India, in the Gulf if the current trend continued. Compared to Indians, Sri Lankans were cheap alternatives for companies in West Asia as they could employ two or three Sri Lankans in place of an Indian, said Ibrahim Kaleel, State Secretary, Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre (KMCC), Dubai, the NRI outfit of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Among the countries which received the Sri Lankans, Kuwait accounted for the highest number of 39,216 people, followed by Qatar (36,229), Saudi Arabia (26,098), South Korea (3,219) and Japan (2,576).
The SLBFEP figures also said that among the 1.56-lakh people who migrated for jobs, 38,871 were for domestic jobs and the rest were for professional and other jobs. The Hindu report quoted Satheesh Kottayi from Palakkad, saying that he had been interviewed by a company in Oman two months ago and was asked to make preparations to join the company in a month
Earlier, female housemaids from Sri Lanka migrated to West Asian cities even as the educated people from that country were looking for commonwealth countries such as Australia or the UK for migration. But the current environment – first the civil war and now the political and economic uncertainty — has driven the present distressed migration, according to Muraleedharan Nair, former Indian diplomat in China.
The SLBFEP figures also said that among the 1.56-lakh people who migrated for jobs, 38,871 were for domestic jobs and the rest were for professional and other jobs. The Hindu report quoted Satheesh Kottayi from Palakkad, saying that he had been interviewed by a company in Oman two months ago and was asked to make preparations to join the company in a month. “I had worked earlier in this company as a surveyor. Hence, I put in my papers in the company where I had been working. Even after two months, the company was yet to provide a visa. I was told by some colleagues that the company was now exploring the possibility of recruiting Sri Lankans,” Satheesh said.
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