By Skandha Gunasekara
The country was expected to lose over $ 1 billion in foreign revenue due to the loss of jobs by Sri Lankan migrant workers since the Covid-19 outbreak affected their employment.
Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Deputy General Manager and Media Spokesman R.K.K.M.P. Randeniya said that a loss of $ 1 billion had been calculated two weeks ago.
“We were earning an estimated $ 7.8 billion in foreign remittance from migrant workers prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, that amount has reduced to $ 6.7 billion, as of two weeks ago. We will be recalculating the loss this coming week.”
He also noted that around 20,000 migrant workers had lost their jobs.
“We believe around 20,000-22,000 migrant workers have lost their jobs in the Middle East and East Asia,” he added.
Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Deputy General Manager and Media Spokesman R.K.K.M.P. Randeniya said that a loss of $ 1 billion had been calculated two weeks ago.
“We were earning an estimated $ 7.8 billion in foreign remittance from migrant workers prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, that amount has reduced to $ 6.7 billion, as of two weeks ago. We will be recalculating the loss this coming week.”
He also noted that around 20,000 migrant workers had lost their jobs.
“We believe around 20,000-22,000 migrant workers have lost their jobs in the Middle East and East Asia,” he added.