Migrant dilemma

Wednesday, 11 January 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Despite unemployment dropping to 4.3% in the first half of 2011 and overall poverty dropping to 8.9% according to Central Bank statistics, Sri Lanka is still fighting to deal with the working poor.

Even though Sri Lanka’s per capita income has increased to US$ 2,830, this only adds up to a monthly salary of Rs. 26,649, which many people will acknowledge is a pittance if you have a family to support or even if one is single for that matter. It is for this reason that increased numbers of migrant workers and asylum seekers are looking for greener pastures.

Foreign Employment Minister Dilan Perera has told media that the Sri Lankan Government has already secured 3,600 vacancies in Italy and is working to fulfill demands from other European Union countries as well as UK and Canada.

The Government is also holding discussions with several other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Jobs in the fields of hospitality, nursing, fisheries, agriculture, IT, technical and construction are open to Sri Lankans in these countries. In addition, the Government is also getting ready to send 10,000 Sri Lankans to South Korea after they passed a language fluency test last year.

Sri Lanka already has nearly one million migrant workers in the Middle East, most of who work as housemaids. Despite the number of housemaid deaths and injuries, the Government is also discussing ways of increasing these numbers.

According to the Central Bank remittances in 2011 hit US$ 5.2 billion dollars, which is a 27 per cent increase, but critics argue that the Government is promoting the brain drain in sending skilled workers abroad. It is obvious that if the Government is serious about development, then these people need to stay home.

In addition, asylum seekers continue to take dangerous routes out of the country. Within the last four days, 44 people have been taken into custody after attempting to smuggle themselves illegally out of the country. They are assumed to have been bound for Australia, where authorities have already expressed concern over increased refugees as a result of Indonesia relaxing its regulations.

Despite the war having ended over two years ago, it can be plausible that Tamil people still seek asylum abroad. Yet financial gain could be an additional factor. Even if this is not the case, the increasing number of migrants is a clear indication that they cannot fulfill their aspirations within their country of origin.

While the Government cannot forget the poor, there is an increasing need to address the working poor of this country as well so that skilled workers are retained to support development. In the long term, remittances will have a tough time compensating for lost economic opportunities in Sri Lanka.

This is the next stage of poverty reduction and while the prognosis is good, it is clear that more policies are needed to adequately address and encourage professionals to remain at home. Attracting expatriates to Sri Lanka, not just for investment but also to give their expertise and experience for the development effort, must be focused on.