Proposed recruitment of 10,000 Sri Lankans to Thailand under review

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to Thailand Wijayanthi Edirisinghe has held discussions with the Director General of the Department of Employment of Thailand, Somchai Morakotsriwan to review progress on the proposed recruitment of 10,000 Sri Lankans to Thailand under a Government-to-Government (G-to-G) mechanism.

The discussion followed the Ambassador’s earlier courtesy call on the Minister of Labour of Thailand and the subsequent decision of the Thai Cabinet to proceed with the recruitment of Sri Lankan nationals to meet Thailand’s labour market demands, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Thailand said in a statement.

Ambassador Edirisinghe shared the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) submitted by the Sri Lankan side and requested that any proposed amendments be communicated for further consideration, noting that Cabinet approval would be required prior to its finalization, the statement stated.

In response, Director General Morakotsriwan informed that the draft MoU will be reviewed by the relevant authorities and will require approval by the Ministry of Labour.

The Ambassador has highlighted Sri Lanka’s skilled workforce in agriculture, construction, and industrial sectors, with significant deployments to countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Israel. She expressed the expectation of deployment of Sri Lankan workers to Thailand and on their welfare facilities.

The Embassy of Thailand noted that it remains committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the area of labour migration, with a view to expanding safe and structured employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in Thailand.