The Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, Manusha Nanayakkara stated yesterday (20) that both the Sri Lankan and Israeli governments have reached an agreement to enhance job opportunities for Sri Lankans in Israel. These opportunities span various sectors, including home-based caregiving, hotels, restaurants, construction, and infrastructure.
The Minister stated that during discussions with Israeli authorities, employment opportunities were revealed, resulting in agreements between the two parties. Minister Nanayakkara disclosed these developments during his visit to Israel to observe the working conditions of Sri Lankan migrant workers and to negotiate agreements with the Israeli government regarding foreign employment opportunities.
The Minister also pointed out that recruitment for Israeli employment opportunities is being carried out through the ministry’s ‘Jayagamu Sri Lanka’ program. The Minister also went on to say,
“We came to Israel to observe the conditions of Sri Lankan workers working here. During our visit, we also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with five Ministers, including the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Construction, the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Labour, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the discussion with the Israeli Labour Minister, we discussed Sri Lankan workers’ working conditions, safety, and salaries. The most important outcome of this discussion was expediting the recruitment process of home-based caregivers in Israel.
We also gave special attention to job opportunities in the construction sector in Israel. So far, we have conducted one skill test to select suitable candidates for these opportunities, and another test will be conducted in early May. In addition to the construction sector, we discussed with the Ministry of Transport, and hopefully, we will be able to obtain job opportunities in the field of road carpeting and other infrastructure development. We hope to raise wide awareness about this in the future.
It was mentioned in the discussions that there is a shortage of workers in the hotel and restaurant sector. As a result of that, we were able to reach agreements with the Israeli government to send our workers to fill these vacancies. Additionally, we made the necessary provisions and arrangements to send a certain number of women to the agriculture sector as well.
We are preparing to share these information and to register applicants at the ‘Jayagamu Sri Lanka’ program. We invite you to come to the ‘Jayagamu Sri Lanka’ program. The next program will be held in Matala on Friday and Saturday (22nd and 23rd).”