Foreign Employment Agencies warn of sharp decline, urge Government to intervene

Saturday, 7 June 2025 01:43 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies Secretary Mohamed Farooq Mohamed Arshad

The Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies has warned of a major decline in Sri Lanka’s foreign employment sector, attributing it to what they claim is a deliberate campaign aimed at eroding public trust in both recruitment agencies and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).

Speaking to the media, the Association’s Secretary Mohamed Farooq Mohamed Arshad said that the number of people leaving the country for work has dropped by about 20% compared to recent years, and that this drop threatens to severely impact Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange earnings.

“There’s a group of people who claim to be social activists, and they’re working to damage the foreign employment sector. Some of them are being funded by outside parties. They are destroying people’s confidence in going abroad for work. It’s a conspiracy, and there’s big money behind it.” He also criticised recent protests by a group of individuals outside the SLBFE, claiming that they were politically motivated and disruptive.

Arshad added that the Association fully supports action against any agency, individual, or official involved in fraud or malpractice, but noted that there are already proper mechanisms in place to deal with such cases. “If someone has done wrong, there’s a process. We have the CID, the Bureau itself, and other official channels to take action. That’s how the system has worked for 45 years.”

If the disruption continues, he warned of a repeat of the 2022 economic crisis, and added that the Government should therefore intervene to resolve the issue as soon as possible. “Nearly 300,000 people leave the country for foreign employment annually, and they bring in close to $ 7 billion a year. If this sector collapses, we’ll be back in queues and blackouts.”

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