Labour Migration Scenario of Sri Lanka

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Labour Migration Scenario of Sri Lanka

• Syeda Rozana Rashid
• PhD Research Fellow
• SCMR (DRC), University of Sussex
• RMMRU, Dhaka

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Outline of the presentation

• The Migration Trends in Sri Lanka
• Major Issues in Sri Lankan Migration Industry
• The Policies on Migration in Sri Lanka and
  Protection Issues

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1. The Migration Trends

• Volume
• Gender
• Destinations
• Sectors of Employment
• Age and Marital Status
• Educational Level

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1.1 The Migration Trends

• Sri Lanka -a late comer in the International
  labour market
• Over the last five years on an average 200,000
  people have migrated per year.
• Initially women migrated in large numbers,
  however, now men are encouraged to migrate and
  women constitute 52 of the total migrants.
• Mainly migrated to the Gulf countries. Other
  Destinations Maldives, Cyprus and South Korea.
• Women are mostly employed as housemaids a small
  percentage works as Juki machine operators and in
  health care sector. Men are mostly employed in
  unskilled works i.e. cleaning, hospital works
  etc.
• Pioneer Sri Lankan women migrants were relatively
  older than other women migrants from South Asia.
• More than 50 of women migrants are married.
• Almost all of the Migrants are literate, some of
  even passed school finals.

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1.2 Migration Trends Numbers, Gender and Jobs
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1.3 Migration Trends Numbers and Destinations
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1.4 Migration Trends Shifts

• Decrease in the Number of Female Migrants
• Female Comprises 52 of the Migrants
• Decrease in the Number of Gulf Migrants
• Migration to South East Asia and other Countries
• Increase in Unskilled and Semiskilled jobs

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2. Issues in the Industry

• Key Actors
• Problems and their Solutions
• Impact on Migrations and their Families

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2.1.1 Issues in the Industry Key Actors

• Establishment of SLBFE
• Ministry
• Licensed Foreign Employment Agents
• NGOs, Migrant Associations

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2.1.1 Issues in the Industry SLBFE

• Established in 1985 under the Parliament Act. No.
  21 of 1985
• Amended in 1994
• Main Objectives
• Promote overseas employment opportunities.
• Regulate operations of Foreign Employment
  Agencies
• Ensure Protection and Welfare of Migrants and
  their Families

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2.1.1 Issues in the IndustrySLBFE

• Activities
• -Impart Pre-departure Training
• -Recruitment of Workers for South Korea
• -Settlement of dispute by conciliation
• -Raiding of illegal Foreign Employment
  Agencies
• -Representation at the Foreign Missions

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2.1.2 Issues in the Industry Ministry and Recent
Development

• Establishment of a separate Cabinet Ministry
• Establishment of Parliamentary Select Committee
• Enhancement of Training for Capacity building
• Revision of Minimum Wages
• Execution of Tripartite Agreements.
• Establishment of pre-departure orientation centre
• Compulsory training and pre-departure
  registration for outgoing migrants
• Decentralisation of SLBFE, (operation at 32
  districts).

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2.1.3 Issues in the Industry Foreign Employment
Agents

• More than 600 Licensed Foreign Agents (LFA).
• LFAs receive job orders from their foreign
  counterparts.
• SLBFE grants approval for them to send employees
  abroad

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2.2 Issues in the Industry Problems

• Malpractices by the sponsors, i.e. non-payment of
  wages, violation of contract, Harassments and
  abuses
• Low wages
• Malpractices of Middlemen

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2.2 Issues in the Industry corrective measures
taken by SLBFE

• Assistance Provided by the Conciliation and
  Counseling Division
• Signing of MOUs, Bi-lateral agreements and
  Service agreements by the main parties in the
  presence of proper authority
• Recruitment of Offices to be attached to the Sri
  Lankan Missions of the labour receiving coutries
• Awareness raising at the community level against
  the fraudulence practices of middlemen.

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2.3 Issues in the Industry Impact on Migrants
and their Families

• Positive Economic Impacts
• Cash Flow
• Better Living
• Material developments within the Households
• Foreign Exchange Earnings
• Negative Social Impacts
• Harassments and abuses of left behind Children
• Alcohol addiction by the spouse of female
  migrants
• Consumption of Remittances
• SLBFE Measures to Reduce the Pitfalls
• Awareness training for the Spouses
• Community level awareness raising programmes
• Networking at the community Level

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3. Polices for Safe Migration and Protection

• Improving job opportunities and competence of
  prospective migrant workers
• Ensuring Safe, Planned and Family Friendly
  migration
• Introducing various measures to undertake Welfare
  Services for Migrants and their Families.

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3.1 Polices for Safe Migration Pre-Departure
Trainings

• Training for Female Migrant Workers are
  Compulsory
• Training Programmes are Conducted at 30 Centres
  all over the country free of charge by SLBFE
• Training for other categories conducted by the
  Government and private vocation training
  institutes.
• Training Programmes are designed according to the
  market trends and receiving country requirements.

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3.1 Polices for Safe Migration Pre-Departure
Trainings
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3.2 Polices for Protection Welfare Facilities

• Provision of free insurance coverage
• Provision of pension schemes
• Low interest pre-departure loans
• Housing and self-employment loan schemes
• Provision of scholarships by the school children
  of the migrants
• Organising health camp for left behind family
  members
• Distribution of school equipments for children of
  migrant workers

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Thank You