ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka’s labour and foreign employment ministry launched its labour migration blueprint for 2023-2027 on Wednesday.

The National Policy and National Action Plan for Migration for Employment was developed by the ministry with technical support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and financial backing from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

“Our workers abroad are the ones who helped Sri Lanka rise again; they are the ones who helped build back our foreign reserves from zero,” labour and foreign employment minister Manusha Nanayakkara said at the launch.

“This policy is to protect and safeguard them. Today our dollar reserves are close to 4 billion US dollars, of that 3.5 billion came from our migrant workers this year.”

Nanayakkara said his ministry had seen 312,000 workers go abroad last year through legal channels, and a larger contingent than that would have gone by the end of this year.

“As we gather to launch this strategic roadmap, we acknowledge the significant role that migration for employment has played in our nation’s development,” ministry secretary R P A Wimalaweera said.

Sri Lanka had previously introduced labour migration policies in 2008 and 2015. This latest policy was approved by cabinet last month.

“This is not just a document, it is our commitment to address the complex and multi-faceted challenges and the opportunities that labour migration presents.”

“The world of migration is evolving: We needed a fresh approach, one that aligns with the current situation and the latest trends in national, regional and global migration.

Wimalaweera pointed out that labour migration is a catalyst for the country’s economic growth and fostering human capital development.Around 200,000 workers go abroad annually. An estimated 1.7 million Sri Lankans are employed abroad at present, according to the ILO.

“Before the end of the year we should also have things related to emergency evacuation plans for migrant workers,” Simrin Singh, ILO country director said.

The new policy will have in place “plans to protect stranded or affected migrant workers, the engagement of employers and recruitment agencies, and the promotion of a skills passport, which will build the skills of migrant workers so they enjoy higher skilled employment,” she said.

Labour migration plays a key role in furthering economic development in Sri Lanka, which has seen a growing outflow of labour migrants.According to the Central Bank, remittances reached 500 million US dollars in August this year.

“We have observed the struggles of returning migrant workers into the local labour force. Together with the Sri Lankan authorities, we agreed on the need for revision of the existing labour migration policy to make a more coherent, inclusive, national policy that leaves no one behind,” said ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka Dr Siri Walt.