NATIONAL POLICY AND ACTION PLAN ON MIGRATION FOR EMPLOYMENT - SRI LANKA (2023-2027)
National Policy and Action Plan on Migration for Employment:
A Comprehensive Overview
The National Policy and National Action Plan on Migration for Employment for Sri Lanka (2023-2027) articulates an ambitious vision: “A globally competent labour force engaged in decent and productive work that ensures their rights, freedoms, dignity and effective contributions to development.” This vision is underpinned by a clear mission focused on “Effective governance of migration through collaboration and cooperation with destination countries and key stakeholders to secure migrant worker rights, strengthen and streamline skilled and semi-skilled migration in accordance with decent work standards, and ensure equitable and gender sensitive service delivery, protection and well-being of migrant worker families.” This strategic framework reflects Sri Lanka’s commitment to maximizing the benefits of migration while safeguarding its citizens.
The importance of migration to Sri Lanka’s economic health was underscored by the President in his 2023 Throne Speech, where he highlighted that remittances from migrant workers reached USD four billion by the end of 2022. Furthermore, the 2023 Budget Speech emphasized the national imperative for economic reforms and modernization, particularly the development of an internationally competitive, highly skilled workforce within the next decade. These statements provide a high-level strategic impetus for the Policy’s objectives.
The updated Policy is structured around four core areas, addressing the needs of individual migrant workers and their families comprehensively. At its foundation are the rights and obligations of migrant workers, meticulously aligned with national and international legal and policy frameworks. The development of strategies across all stages of the migration cycle employed a dual approach: a “Whole of Government approach” to ensure cohesive action across various government entities, and a “Whole of Society approach” to foster broad societal engagement and support.
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The first core Policy area focuses on the “Governance of labour migration to promote decent and productive employment.” Its objective is to ensure that “Sri Lanka benefits from a well governed labour migration sector that promotes decent, safe and productive employment.” The strategies under this area are designed to establish an effective and efficient institutional landscape for governing employment migration, strictly adhering to national and international legislative and regulatory frameworks. This adherence is crucial for conforming to global standards and promoting decent work principles, encompassing rights at work, employment promotion, social protection, and social dialogue. Furthermore, these strategies advocate for enhanced coordination among development sectors to achieve policy coherence, collaborative planning and budgeting, and joint implementation and monitoring of the National Action Plan (NAP). A specific strategy is dedicated to strengthening fair and ethical recruitment systems, including the introduction of a grading system for Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (LFEAs), recognizing their pivotal role.
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The second core Policy area addresses the “Secure rights and protection of migrant workers and ensure well-being of their families.” Its objective is that “Sri Lanka strengthens all rights of migrant workers ensuring protection, social security and wellbeing of migrant workers and their families in all stages of labour migration.” This area explicitly aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8.8 and 10.7, which call for “orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration,” as well as other relevant UN Conventions. Strategies within this core area aim for well-coordinated service delivery, upholding the dignity of migrant workers, ensuring their protection and security, and establishing collaborative multi-sectoral response mechanisms. Social security is affirmed as a fundamental right for migrant workers and their families. Notably, a dedicated strategy under this policy area seeks to empower migrant workers and their communities, fostering alliances among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), trade unions, and employers who are actively working to realize migrant workers’ rights.
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The third core Policy area is centered on the “Promotion of employment opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers in local and global economies.” The objective here is to ensure that “Sri Lanka facilitates its labour force to effectively access global labour market opportunities and benefit from better socio-economic gains.” This area recognizes the current global labour market trends, which indicate a rising demand for skilled labour, particularly within knowledge-based economies. Consequently, a key focus is on up-skilling the local workforce to meet these evolving international demands.
The strategies under this core Policy area are therefore designed to strengthen the institutional framework for skill development. This includes fostering robust collaboration with the foreign employment sector, standardizing national qualification frameworks to align with regional and international benchmarks, and proactively supporting the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for returnee migrant workers, alongside their skill certification. Furthermore, the strategies within this core Policy area embrace the integration of new technologies into the skill development industry and prioritize the diversification of job opportunities for the Sri Lankan labour force, ensuring adaptability and resilience in the global market.
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The fourth core Policy area is dedicated to “Enhance benefits of migration and its nexus with national development.” Its overarching Policy objective is clearly defined: “Sri Lanka effectively positions migration for employment as: a productive sector in the development of the country.” This area recognizes the profound potential of labour migration to deliver a “triple win” scenario, not only for Sri Lanka but also for Countries of Destination (CoD). For the latter, it significantly contributes to economic growth through the provision of a skilled and semi-skilled labor force, filling critical gaps and supporting various industries. This multifaceted benefit underscores the importance of strategically managing migration to maximize its positive impact on national development.