Sri Lanka wants more of its skilled workers in UAE

Saturday, 22 September 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Khaleej Times: Sri Lankan efforts to increase its export of skilled workers to the UAE were the topic of discussion in a gathering of diplomatic officials at an overseas employment promotion seminar held on 13 September.

At the event, officials addressed local recruiters and employers on the procedures and benefits associated with hiring workers from Sri Lanka. “We need to generate more employment opportunities for our skilled labour force,” said Sri Lankan Consul-General Abdul Raheem to the assembled agents and representatives. “If there are any companies here in the UAE looking for skilled labour, we are open for specified job-oriented, company-oriented training in Sri Lanka. You can bring your people and the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency (SLFEA) will provide the platform to train the people in Sri Lanka.”

SLFEA, the nation’s only government-owned agency, helps train the workforce to meet demands in foreign job markets, confirmed SLFEA Chairman Senaka Abeygoonasekara, who had come from Sri Lanka to attend the seminar.

“Sri Lankans have undergone a minimum of 10 years’ school education and they are quite capable of adapting to higher education for career development,” he said. The SLFEA runs 23 training centres and collaborates with an additional 50 centres through the nation’s vocational training ministries. Sri Lanka can train workers in a variety of fields, including carpentry, plumbing, and information technology, should an overseas employer make the request, Abeygoonasekara said. He mentioned that the country recently sent thousands of skilled labourers to work in South Korea, many of them in the automotive industry.

Sri Lanka annually deploys over 250,000 workers overseas, according to SLFEA. The country’s greatest foreign income comes from remittances, accounting for $5 billion of Sri Lanka’s $60 billion economy, according to Consul General Raheem. Approximately 300,000 Sri Lankans work in the UAE, with 40 per cent providing domestic services. “Expat labour force is our power, especially in the Middle East,” said Sri Lankan Ambassador Sarath Wijesinghe. “The employer-employee relationship is very crucial. Of course we receive disturbing information, but to the credit of the agencies it’s been minimised now,” he added, alluding to complaints received by the embassy from both employers and workers.

The Sri Lankan Government and embassies are striving to protect overseas workers’, emphasised numerous officials speaking at the seminar. Recent initiatives to that effect includes raising the minimum working age to 21 and setting a minimum monthly wage of Dh 825. Sponsors are also required to pay a refundable $1000 deposit as an emergency fund for their workers.