Forum promotes semi-skilled and skilled employment in Bahrain

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Kingdom of Bahrain, in close coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Employment and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), conducted a forum to raise the awareness and potentiality of Sri Lankan semi-skilled and skilled workers to secure gainful employment opportunities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

In this context, two senior most officials from the Ministry of Foreign Employment visited Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain to interact, to liaise and to promote employment, particularly, semi-skilled and skilled employment for qualified Sri Lankans to work in Bahrain. Over 40 employment and manpower agencies and corporates were present at the forum, which was held at the Embassy.

Ministry of Foreign Employment Director Upul Deshapriya and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Additional General Manager W.M.V. Wansekara were in Manama, Bahrain, last week in order to enhance, augment and boost opportunities and vistas for semi-skilled and skilled employment of Sri Lankans to Bahrain. 

The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. A. Saj U. Mendis, addressed the forum consisting of manpower agencies, employment agencies and companies who are interested and eager in recruiting semi-skilled and skilled Sri Lankan employees. Ambassador Dr. Mendis underscored and accentuated, in his opening remarks, the vitality and criticality of migrant workers of Sri Lanka for the economy of Sri Lanka. 

He further emphasised that nearly 9% of the GDP of Sri Lanka consists of remittances from migrant workers and in the region of Gulf, there are approximately 1.6 million Sri Lankans living and working. Ambassador Dr. Mendis enunciated the fact that Sri Lanka has a highly-skilled, educated, competent and adaptable human resource base which could be on par with the human resources of any given developed country. 

That said, Dr. Mendis urged the employment and manpower agencies of Bahrain and corporates of Bahrain to focus on semi-skilled and skilled workers from Sri Lanka since Sri Lanka is well equipped and prepared to provide workers of this category opposed to unskilled workers. He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain has a much higher percentage of semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled/professional Sri Lankans employed than in any other country in the region of Gulf.

Wansekara in his address, highlighted the procedures, paradigms, rules and regulations of sourcing semi-skilled and skilled workers from Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Bahrain with great degree of easiness, thus enabling to compete with other countries which provide semi-skilled and skilled employment. Mr Wansekara also stated that Sri Lanka has the one of the largest pools of qualified and trained accountants only second to the United Kingdom. Further, Sri Lanka has a number of experienced quantity surveyors, IT professionals, bankers, highly-trained personnel from hospitality and hotel sector, nurses and care-givers, technicians and electricians, and trained teachers, among others. 

Wansekara also discussed challenges, predicaments, difficulties and dilemmas that the Employment and Manpower Agencies confront with regard to employment of Sri Lankan semi-skilled and skilled workers as well as the workers who are already employed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

Working Director Upul Deshapriya, in his remarks, highlighted the legal aspects and contours of recruitment of semi-skilled and skilled workers from Sri Lanka. He also elaborated and expounded the utility of recruiting skilled workers from Sri Lanka to both the countries opposed to recruiting unskilled workers. Deshapriya enunciated the recent Parliamentary Acts and dynamics, which have been in operation, thus making it easier and less bureaucratic in recruitment of semi-skilled and skilled workers from Sri Lanka.

After the formal session at the forum, the panel opened the floor for comments, Q&A session and suggestions from the employment and manpower agencies and corporates, in order to raise the awareness of the potential opportunities and prospects in Sri Lanka for recruitment of semi-skilled and skilled workers. During this brief visit, the senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Employment met with other senior officials, along with the Ambassador, on bilateral basis to boost and enhance employment opportunities in the Kingdom of Bahrain.