The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has announced that the number of Sri Lankan workers going abroad for employment in 2024 is projected to exceed 311,000, marking the highest number of departures ever in a calendar year. As of December 13, 2024, 300,162 Sri Lankans have already left for foreign employment, surpassing the 300,000 mark for the second time in the past decade.
The previous record of 310,948 migrant workers was set in 2022. The SLBFE has forecasted that by the end of 2024, the total number of Sri Lankans migrating for work will likely exceed 311,000.
Of the total number, 60% are male workers (177,804), while 40% are female workers (122,358). A significant portion of the migrant workforce, 184,140, sought employment independently, while 116,022 went through employment agencies.
Kuwait remains the top destination for Sri Lankan workers, with 73,995 workers employed there, followed by 49,499 in the UAE. Other emerging destinations for Sri Lankan migrant workers include South Korea (7,002), Israel (9,211), Romania (10,274), and Japan (8,251).
Migrant remittances have played a crucial role in the Sri Lankan economy, with a total of US$ 5,961.6 million received in remittances by November 2024.
