Boon for job seekers

Prospective Lankan overseas job seekers are in luck's way as India has opened its employment market to Sri Lankans. It is offering Dubai type salaries to the would be recruits.

Faced with an acute shortage of skilled labour, our giant neighbour is increasingly turning to Sri Lankans to fill the void. This certainly is a recognition of Sri Lankan skills and workmanship in the employment market.

It is also a repudiation of the oft repeated claim that Sri Lanka is a merely an exporter of housemaids to the Middle East. Our men and women have come a long way since those early days of the Middle East job boom.

Recently even upmarket destinations such as California have asked for Lankan nurses to fill the shortage in the State's hospitals. It is hoped that India's invitation would open the floodgates for Lankan job seekers similar to the early Middle East job boom.

The employment avenues opened for Lankans in India come even amidst job restrictions placed on Indians in the Middle East due to the dominance of Indians in the Middle Eastern job market - which goes to show the regard the recognition shown by India for Sri Lankan skills.

We ran a story in our inside pages on Tuesday quoting a proprietor of a local Foreign recruiting agency saying that he has been receiving inquiries from South India for engineers and even unskilled workers. He also says a garment factory in Tirupur had asked for unskilled workers while a construction company in Bangalore has asked for Lankan engineers.

According to him the mounting demands of a booming Indian economy has resulted in a shortfall in skilled manpower and India is increasingly turning towards Sri Lanka to off set the crisis. This certainly is a welcome development and would obviate the need for Lankans clamouring for Middle East jobs, if as reported the salary scales would be matched by India.

The proximity factor too would lure more Sri Lankans to avail themselves of the opportunities offered in the vast Indian labour market. The close links between the two countries would also remove any fears and misgivings among prospective female recruits which they may otherwise entertain with regard to Middle East countries.

In addition the close cultural ties between the two SAARC neighbours too would be an added impetus for Lankans turning towards India.

According to the report the Government has reported an eight per cent increase in Foreign employment over the past year. But the new vacancies in the Middle East have mostly been in the skilled sector. With restrictions imposed on Indian labour in the Middle East there are vast openings in the Middle East job market for Lankans.

This means that Lankans will have to acquire skills if they are to exploit the new opportunities. There is a huge demand for jobs in engineering, accountancy, hospitality and construction sectors. India which is among our largest foreign investors would no doubt wish to see economic prosperity in her Southern neighbour and would be only too willing to help her in whatever possible way.

The opening of employment avenues to Sri Lankans should therefore be viewed in a positive frame and as an opportunity to be cherished.

The Government on its part should undertake speedy measures to tap this potential to the fullest. Another encouraging development is that India has become one of the biggest investors in Sri Lanka.

The upcoming SAARC summit where President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be conferred the Chairmanship of the regional body should be made use of to promote this aspect on a firm footing. Such mutual agreements between the two neighbours would ensure that the economic benefits too would accrue to our common interests and help further strengthen ties between the two countries.

The new development would also go a long way to allay ingrained suspicions between Sri Lankans towards its giant neighbour and help build bridges that would go beyond the economic realm.

The Government should wake up to the prospect of the potential of the new avenue opened by India for the economic empowerment of Sri Lankans and take every possible measure to bring this to fruition.