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Impact of COVID 19 on international contract labour migration in Sri Lanka

Sunethra Jayathilake Perera Ellawala Liyanage, University of Colombo

Sri Lanka has experienced significant changes in labour emigration with the spread of the global pandemic, COVID-19. Migrant remittances have been contributing immensely to national development as well as the family economy over the last five decades. However, the impact of the pandemic on labour emigrants has received comparably less attention. This paper explores the effect of COVID-19 on labour emigration and related implications. The analysis was based on foreign employment registration data and other reports that can capture migrants’ issues. Results reveal that more than 75% of migrant workers employed in Middle Eastern countries. The departure for foreign employment declined by two thirds in 2020 compared to 2019 due to the pandemic. Migrants by gender and manpower levels reveal that males dominate in labour migration (60%), while the decline in male departure for both skilled and unskilled job categories was evident. Female departure for employments also declined in both housemaids and unskilled categories due to COVID 19 and they have become more vulnerable to lack of health insurance, access to health care and social protection. Results suggest that multiple measures, access to vaccine programmes, counselling services as well as justice require to secure employment and the health of migrants.

Keywords: International migration, COVID-19, Health and morbidity

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P1.