32 Sri Lankans leaving for overseas jobs every hour View(s):By Kapila BandaraFaced with vistas of bankruptcy and hunger, 32 Sri Lankans boarded a flight every hour, every day, the numbers having more than quadrupled in the first 181 days of this year, external sector data from the Central Bank have revealed. Most Sri Lankans are now leaving by themselves without the intervention of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, or job agents. Sri Lankans working overseas remain the single largest net foreign exchange earners of Sri Lanka and by working offshore they also keep the national unemployment rate artificially low. In the six month to June, Sri Lankans overseas sent in US$ 1.61 billion (Rs 576.02 billion). The CBSL data show that in June this year, overseas workers contributed US$ 274 million to the national coffers.

Source: Sunday Times August 07, 2022 01:05 UTC