International
migration is a major driver of social and economic change in our country.
Foreign Employment provided a remittance income having significant economic and
social consequences. Every year over 250,000 Sri
Lankans leave the country for foreign employment. This outflow of migrants has
increased steadily over time, increased 20 times from 1986 to 2012. The numbers
have dropped however by 12.5 per cent in 2015. But, little is known about those
who return to the country after working abroad, although returnees can be greater
benefit to the economy than migrants. Returnee migrants bring back new skills,
knowledge and capital which can provide more value addition and create new
employment opportunities among others, if properly directed and integrated into
the economy and the society of the home country.
However,
after an extended period away from the country, most returnees find it
challenging to reintegrate both socially, psychologically and economically.
Finding suitable employment, lack of savings, lack of information or access to
potential business activities are some of the key economic challenges they
face. On the other hand, weakened family ties with spouse, children and local
community structures make social reintegration difficult. The number of other individual and structural
factors too affect the degree of integration of the returnees.[1].
In 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Employment launched the Sub-policy and
National Action Plan on return and reintegration of Sri Lankan migrant workers.
The NAP has 5 focus areas which have been prioritized based on the issues and
challenges faced by returning migrant and focuses mainly on the low-skilled
returnees with the assumption that they require the most support.
Recently foreign employment has become the largest source of foreign
exchange of the Sri Lankan economy during the past few years. A total of
263,307 persons (males 66%, females 34%) left for foreign employment in 2015.
During the year 2015, the workers’ remittances accounted a sum of Rs. 948,957 million
and it was around 9% of the GDP of the Country, Foreign employment has also
been important in terms of skills transfer, investment, brain circulation in
addition to contributing to overcome the problems of balance of payment,
unemployment and underemployment etc. Analysis of statistics discloses that
the total departures for foreign employment in 2015 decreased by 12.4% compared
to 2014. Increase in departures through private sources by 18.2% and decrease from
recruitment by licensed foreign employment agencies by 33.9% caused this change
in total departures.[2] The introduction of
regulations limiting foreign employment of women in the domestic sector,
especially those with young children, has pushed women to also seek irregular
means of recruitment which is not through a licensed recruitment agent and not
reflected in official data.
Purpose: prepare concept
paper to summit PM to implement the strategies of this concept paper through
relevant agencies
Exiting
Challenges
·
Sri Lanka continues to face a number of challenges in the field of
foreign employment such as the vulnerability of workers who migrate under risky
and unsafe conditions and the predominance of low-remittance, low-skilled jobs
mainly for women with heavy social costs for families.
·
Sri Lanka has not been able to supply the numbers
of workers in mid-professional, skilled and semi-skilled job categories, for
whom there was demand from various countries.
·
According to data from the Sri Lanka Bureau of
Foreign Employment (SLBFE), many migrant workers from the country occupy
low-skilled positions.
·
Increase in local wage levels, high cost of
recruitment especially for non-demostic sector and semi-skilled and skilled categories,
and decrease from wage levels offered by foreign employers are among the
factors lowering the motivation of Sri Lankan employees to go for foreign
employment.
·
The large proportion of unskilled or semi-skilled
Sri Lankan migrants possess comparatively inadequate English language skills,
which is the primary medium of communication between foreign employers and
fellow migrants.
·
Kafala is a system used to monitor migrant laborers, working primarily in the
construction and domestic sectors, in Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia, and the UAE.
The system requires all unskilled
laborers to have an in-country sponsor, usually their employer, who is
responsible for their visa and legal status. The system offers no labour
mobility within employers and tantamount to a system of slavery especially when
employers are abusive and exploitative. This practice has been criticized by human
rights organizations for creating easy
opportunities for the exploitation of workers, as many employers take away
passports and abuse their workers with little chance of legal repercussions and
no means of escape without exit clearance by the host employer.
Targets
·
Reduce youth unemployment rate 20 % in
2014 to 14.1 % by 2020.
·
Increase Female labour force
participation rate from 34.7 % in 2014 to 40 % by 2020
·
Increase EPF beneficiary coverage to 80
% by 2020
·
Reduce work related accidents and deaths
by 50% by 2020.
·
Reduce low-skilled labour migration and
increase skilled labour migration
·
Increase the protection of migrant
workers and minimize their vulnerabilities
·
Enter into new markets
·
Facilitate to access available financial
and other services such as business development services
Strategic Directions
1. Upgrade the
skills of migrants.
·
Produce
a skilled labor force which has greater demand from global labor markets (Ex. The Philippines
model and Keralian model
- India) in the health
sector.
·
Review the current Education system on career guidance and aware
students and parents on available career options, sources of employment and
career paths.
·
Increase the quality and relevance of existing academic programs
at the higher educational institutions.
§ Soft skills
development of students
§ Updating
curriculum
§ Development of
new academic programme
§ Staff skill development
· Establish a guidance mechanism in schools targeting students (and
parents) in Primary/secondary School regarding career options and openings
available in the TVET sector in line with market demand for employment.
· Practical training to be set up under the vocational training
department and certificates to be issued.
· Develop joint minimum standards for skills
training, certification and recognition.
· Strengthen skills testing and recognition
mechanisms for potential and returning migrants including recognition of prior
learning (RPL) certification
· Meet the recurrent costs of this sector through a
‘voucher’ system, where students who are qualified to receive this education
have freedom to spend it at institutions of their choice.
2.
Finding new markets
·
Establish decent employment and working conditions and support in
relation to travel document, wages, Social protection, complaint mechanisms,
occupation safety and health.
·
Improve fair recruitment and reduce migration costs
·
Establishment of one-stop shop center for migrant workers,
·
To reduce the social cost of labour migration and enhance
development outcomes for migrant workers and their families, as well as for
countries of origin and destination
3.
Encourage the Diaspora (Overseas Sri Lankans)
to make their contribution back to Sri Lanka?
Organize a Diaspora Forum with the representatives of the
developed nations to get their views and ideas, then prepare a comprehensive
report to share with relevant organization to be implement. Engagement of
Officers of SL Diplomatic Missions
4.
Motivate the private sector
to be education/training opportunity providers in this sector, especially given
the availability of the voucher system. Such indirect support of the private
sector should be encouraged, because it will create competition; also the real
support is directly to interns/students. Lie it with Corporate Social
Responsibility initiatives.
5. Awareness
programmes should be organized for more females to undertake studies in the
fields of nursing, home economics, hotel receptionists Food and beverage,
airline ticketing, beautician courses etc., innovation etc
6.
More focus should be given to
deal with issues within Sri Lanka by improving the relevancy and quality of
training programmes, using better marketing strategies, streamlining
recruitment processes and enhancing cooperation within the industry, commerce
and trade sectors
7. In
terms of training, much more attention needs to be given in improving soft
skills and spoken English amongst migrants, which could be done through
establishing training institutes in rural areas, upgrading the training course
of SLBFE, and conducting courses to develop skills that meet the requirements
of destination countries and the job.
8.
Identify the requested skills from Israel,
Thailand and South Korea for the job market to promote youth overseas
employment. Promote Government to Government employment schemes and follow-up
periodically on bilateral agreements and MoUs between Sri Lanka and other
countries.
9.
Develop the strategies and make awareness on
available facilities especially on “Kafala system” which is cover the Insurance
and short of other cost before they leave the country.
10.
The Kafala or sponsorship system have to maintain and monitor
through respected agencies to facilitate low skilled labour and have to protect
them from abuse of the rights of
low-income migrant workers.
Reference
·
Annual Statistical Report of Foreign Employment 2015
·
Sri Lanka Human Capital Submit report 2016
·
http://www.nitc.lk/old/images/Diaspora%20Contribution%2010%20June%202012.pdf
Annexed: 01
Details of the MOUs/ Agreements Signed with Government of Sri
Lanka
No
|
Country
|
Subject
|
Date of Signing
|
Remarks
|
01
|
Kingdom of Jordan
|
The aim of
further development of ways and means of finding solutions to the problems
related to the export and import of labour and placement of such Labour on
Contractual Development.
|
06.02.2006
|
Lapsed
|
02
|
State of Qatar
|
Agreement
concerning the regulation of Sri Lankan Manpower Employment in the State of
Qatar.
|
09.01.2008
|
Not active
|
03
|
Kingdom of
Bahrain
|
In the areas of
Labour and Occupational Training.
|
23.04.2008
|
Lapsed
|
04
|
State of Kuwait
|
The field of
Labour, Recruitment and Development of Manpower.
|
10.05.2012
|
|
05
|
Israel
|
Recruitment of
Seasonal Agricultural Workers
|
2015
|
With SLBFE MOU
|
06
|
Iraq
|
The field of
Employment and Vocational Training.
|
05.09.2013
|
Not active
|
07
|
Sultan of Oman
|
The encouragement
of cooperation between the two sides in the areas of labour and training and
in particularly.
|
22.06.2014
|
|
08
|
Switzerland
|
Decent work
safety and well - being for labour migrants and their families in Sri Lanka.
|
25.07.2014
|
MoU with the MFE
|
09
|
Korea
|
Employment Permit
System.
|
2004
|
MoU with the MFE
|
10
|
Korea Electric
Power Corporation
|
For Cooperation
in employment of Sri Lankan Manpower for Barakah Nuclear Power Project.
|
01.04.2014
|
|
11
|
Israel
|
Joint Pilot
Program for the Recruitment and Placement of up to 50 caregivers from Sri
Lanka to Treat Elderly Disabled Employers in Israel.
|
25.05.2016
|
With SLBFE
MOU
|
12
|
K.S.A.
|
Agreement on
Domestic Worker Recruitment.
|
2014
|
With MFE –
MOU
|
13
|
Cyprus
|
Being processed –
On Manpower recruitment.
|
||
14
|
USA
|
Recruitment of
Nurses – with an Ethical Recruitment company named KARMA
|
2016
|
With SLBFE
Business agreement
|
15
|
Lebanon
|
Being Processed –
On Manpower Recruitment.
|
S.Thanigaseelan,
Assistant Director, NHRDC.
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