2024 sets record for Sri Lankans going abroad for work

Wednesday, 1 January 2025 00:34 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau has announced that 2024 marked the highest number of Sri Lankans leaving the country for foreign employment in its history. According to a statement released yesterday a total of 312,836 persons went abroad for work, surpassing the previous record set in 2022.

Over the past six years (2019–2024), 1.3 million Sri Lankans have sought employment overseas. Of those, 185,162 were male workers and 127,674 were female workers in 2024 alone.

The largest number of Sri Lankans immigrated to Kuwait, with 77,546 individuals taking up work there. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, receiving 51,550 workers from Sri Lanka.

The bureau also highlighted an increasing trend in Sri Lankans seeking employment in countries such as South Korea, Israel, and Japan. In 2024, 7,098 workers left for South Korea, 9,665 for Israel, and 8,665 for Japan, reflecting a growing diversification in destinations for foreign employment.

Additionally, by the end of November 2024, Sri Lanka had received $ 6,462 million in remittances, underscoring the significant contribution of migrant workers to the country’s economy.