Foreign job departures down 5% 1H 2025

According to Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) data, the number of Sri Lankans leaving for overseas employment dropped by 5% in the first six months of 2025 to 143,037 workers, as improving economic conditions and rising domestic wages reduced outward labour migration.

In January, 25,873 people departed for foreign jobs, slightly above the 25,149 recorded the previous year. Departures then fell to 22,271 in February, compared to 25,737 in 2024, and to 21,552 in March, against 24,158 last year. In April, 22,011 workers left, nearly unchanged from 22,220 a year ago, while May recorded 27,142 departures, marginally lower than 28,201 in 2024. The data show that departures have eased since February, reflecting a stabilising labour market at home following several years of high migration during the economic crisis.

Meanwhile, workers’ remittances surged to $ 695.7 million in September, marking the third-highest monthly inflow so far in 2025, according to the CBSL.

The figure reflects a 25.2% year-on-year increase and represents the sixth consecutive month of record inflows, underscoring the steady recovery of foreign worker earnings.

Cumulatively, remittances in the first nine months of 2025 rose 20% year-on-year to exceed $ 5.8 billion, the strongest performance for the period since 2020.

The year-to-date total is also 8% higher than the $ 5.38 billion recorded during the same period in 2016, which remains the year with the highest annual remittances at $ 7.24 billion.