ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka will send 10,000 workers to South Korea in 2024, an official of the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Employment said.
“We sent 6,500 to 7,000 workers last year and this year we plan to send 10,000,” the ministry’s media secretary, Sanjaya Nallaperuma told EconomyNext.
“We are sending workers in production, fishing and construction industries.”
South Korean workers prefer not to work in jobs that are considered ‘dirty, dangerous, or difficult’ (3Ds). These jobs, typically in the above fields, are filled by migrant workers.
In order to be employed in Korea, Sri Lankan workers must take a Korean language test.
Korean Foreign Minister Lee Jung-Sik assured more employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in South Korea, especially in the apparel and caregiving sector, when he visited the island late last year.
Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara has said that the Foreign Employment Bureau will gradually phase out sending women to foreign countries as ‘housemaids’.
Instead, Sri Lanka plans to send more workers in the skilled category. (Colombo/Jun6/2024)