Former United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader and MP Ravi Karunanayake has questioned the nature of Sri Lanka’s current youth labour migration and its economic impact amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Speaking in an interview with Ceylon Wire, Karunanayake discussed the need to create employment opportunities for young people and questioned whether the country is making the best use of the opportunities available overseas.
He said the current trend of young people leaving Sri Lanka is significantly different from the situation during the administration of former President J.R. Jayewardene.
Karunanayake explained that during that period, Sri Lanka’s surplus labour force was directed towards overseas employment, with unemployed workers being sent abroad to earn foreign exchange for the country.
However, he noted that many of those leaving Sri Lanka today are part of the country’s active workforce.
Karunanayake questioned the economic benefit of sending skilled Sri Lankan workers overseas while bringing qualified foreign workers into the country at higher wages.
