• Focus on Kiwi, German and Malaysian job mkts. 

The Chairperson of the Bureau of Foreign Employment (BFE), Kosala Wickramasinghe said that foreign job targets for this year (2026) had been increased following last year’s (2025) success. Responding to questions from The Daily Morning, Wickramasinghe said yesterday (31) that this year, they targeted 325,000 foreign jobs. Last year alone, the BFE was able to obtain foreign jobs for over 300,000 Sri Lankans, exceeding its target despite rumours that the number of persons seeking foreign employment had reduced towards the end of last year. 

He said that the BFE sent 78 per cent skilled labour for foreign jobs. The remaining jobs were semi- skilled. However, the demand for unskilled labour is minimal, he pointed out. 

Fielding questions, he noted the BFE hoped to reach the job markets in New Zealand, Germany and Malaysia, opening new opportunities for Sri Lankans.