Approximately 75,000 Sri Lankan workers have emigrated to foreign countries within the first three months of 2024, according to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).
The bureau said as many as 74,499 Sri Lankans left the country in the first quarter of the year as opposed to 76,025 in 2023. Among them, 34,599 were women and it is 46% of the total number.
A large number of Sri Lankans have reportedly emigrated to Kuwait, and it adds up to a total of 17,793.
The SLBFE says, in comparison to the previous years, Sri Lankans now tend to seek job opportunities in countries like South Korea, Israel and Japan.
As per the figures, 2,374 Sri Lankans in total left for South Korea, while 2,114 departed for Israel, 1,899 for Romania and 1,947 for Japan within the first quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, in the first two months of 2024 alone, Sri Lankan migrant workers’ remittances were recorded at USD 963.8 million, the SLBFE added.
The number of Sri Lankans who went abroad for work in the first 3 months of 2023 is 76,025.