Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe has rejected claims that job opportunities received from the Israeli government have declined because employment agencies are being given those vacancies.
Addressing a group of workers leaving for jobs in Israel on Monday (21), Wickramasinghe said the claim was misleading and stressed that registered private employment agencies play a major role in sending Sri Lankans overseas.
He said the SLBFE regulates the process by approving foreign employment placements only after checking employment contracts, salaries and other agreed conditions.
According to Wickramasinghe, around 300,000 Sri Lankans leave for foreign employment annually through legal channels. He said about 11,000 are sent through government-facilitated programmes, including around 5,000 to Israel, 5,000 to South Korea and 1,000 to Japan.
He said the majority of migrant workers travel through registered employment agencies or through self-arranged employment.
Wickramasinghe also said the SLBFE’s primary role was to regulate foreign employment, protect migrant workers and improve their welfare rather than directly send workers overseas.
He added that the bureau would continue taking action against fraud and corruption linked to foreign employment recruitment. (Newswire)