People seeking overseas employment down by 20% - ALFEA

The number of individuals seeking employment overseas has reduced by about 20% in comparison to recent years, according to the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA).

The reduction has been attributed to the eroding public trust in both recruitment agencies and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), which according to the Secretary of the union Mohamed Farooq Mohamed is a campaign carried out by “a group of people who claim to be social activists”.

The Secretary claims that certain factions are working to damage the foreign employment sector which has had an impact on the number of people seeking employment overseas.

He also noted that the reduction in the number of people seeking overseas employment will also have a bearing on Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange earnings.

Secretary Mohamed Farooq said his Association fully supports action against any agency, individual, or official involved in fraud or malpractice, adding that there are already proper mechanisms in place to deal with such cases.
He is of the view that if the disruption continues, a repeat of the 2022 economic crisis is a possibility.

Therefore, Secretary Mohamed Farooq urged the government to intervene and resolve the issue as soon as possible.