40% of Sri Lankan migrant workers are women: SLBFE

By Leenah Wahab  

Of the total number of workers who went abroad for work, 40.7% were women, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) reported yesterday.  

SLBFE said that in 2024, 177,804 male workers and 122,358 women went overseas for job opportunities. They further noted an increase in the number of male migrant workers to 60%.  

During the year 2024, the number of Sri Lankans who went abroad for work reached 310,162. “This is the second time in the last 10 years that workers have gone abroad for work, to the tune of 300,000. In 2023, 310,948 workers went abroad for work,” SLBFE said.  

Furthermore, during this period, 184,140 people went abroad on their own, while 116,022 people went abroad through foreign employment agencies. The largest number of Sri Lankans who went abroad for work was to Kuwait, which was 73,995. The second largest number of people who went abroad was to the United Arab Emirates, which was 49,499.  

There was also a significant increase in the number of Sri Lankans sent for work in countries such as South Korea, Romania and Japan. Accordingly, in the year 2024, 7,002 Sri Lankans went for work in South Korea, 9,211 for work in New Zealand, 10,274 for work in Romania and 8,251 for work in Japan.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects the number of Sri Lankans going abroad for work to reach 311,000 by the end of 2024. Moreover, the amount of foreign exchange received by the country from overseas workers has increased significantly during this period, and accordingly, US$ 5961.6 million has been transferred to the country up to November 2024.