By: Staff Writer
August 17, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s government has recently touted efforts to create overseas employment opportunities, particularly in Singapore, raising questions about whether these initiatives are genuine policy measures or politically driven promises.
High-level discussions were held between Labour and Deputy Economic Development Minister Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando and Singapore’s Ministers of State, Dinesh Vasu Dash and Alvin Tan, focusing on potential roles for Sri Lankans in hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and other sectors.
While official statements emphasize skills recognition, worker protection, and ethical recruitment practices, critics point out a historical pattern of governments using foreign employment pledges as political currency.
Successive administrations have often linked overseas job opportunities to political support, creating expectations among the public that rarely materialize due to bureaucratic bottlenecks and inadequate training infrastructure.
During the Singapore visits, Minister Fernando highlighted Sri Lanka’s reform agenda, including financial sector modernization, green financing, and economic recovery measures.
The government’s narrative suggests that these reforms will make it easier to send skilled workers abroad and attract foreign investment.
Singaporean officials, meanwhile, expressed interest in competent workers and expanding trade and investment links, signaling that opportunities exist—but only for candidates who meet strict standards.
This raises a key concern: can Sri Lanka realistically prepare enough workers to match Singapore’s high skill requirements? Current vocational training and workforce development programs face structural limitations, and the government has yet to demonstrate large-scale, depoliticized mechanisms to bridge the skills gap. Without this, the initiative risks becoming a symbolic gesture rather than a practical solution to unemployment.
Moreover, there is a political dimension. Foreign employment programs can be used to reward loyal supporters, leaving vulnerable workers without access to promised opportunities. The lack of transparent selection and training processes undermines confidence in the government’s ability to deliver on its promises equitably.
Ultimately, the success of this initiative will depend less on ministerial visits or high-level statements and more on structural reforms, transparent recruitment, and genuine investment in human capital. Otherwise, Sri Lanka risks repeating a familiar cycle: ambitious foreign employment pledges that generate headlines and political goodwill but fail to translate into meaningful jobs for the majority of its citizens
