Over 240,000 Sri Lankans have left the country

Over 240,000 Sri Lankans have left the country within this year in the pursuit of employment opportunities. The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said the departure in September this year alone had increased by 10% in comparison to September 2023.

The bureau stated that 240,109 Sri Lankan citizens had been employed abroad within the time period of January to September.  The bureau added female workers made up 99,939 of the total while male workers made up the remaining 142,170.

According to data a staggering 70,396 skilled workers have left the country for work during the first nine months of the year. It included  62,177 male workers and 8,219 female workers.

Approximately 17,649 workers have been reported to have gone abroad for professional jobs, with 3,704 Sri Lankans going for semi-skilled jobs the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said.