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Romanian job market to expand for Lankan workers

29 Jan 2021

By Dinitha Rathnayake   The Sri Lankan migrant worker recruiting market in Romania is expected to increase with authorised employment agencies in Sri Lanka recruiting and supplying personnel for all categories of employment in Romania. Speaking to The Morning, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Deputy General Manager and Spokesman Mangala Randeniya said that the total number of vacancies approved in Romania was 52,685, while the total number of departures recorded was 535. Randeniya said that authorised employment agencies are allowed to recruit workers under the categories of professional, semi-skilled, and skilled workers. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, according to State Minister of Regional Co-operation Tharaka Balasuriya, is currently in the process of establishing a diplomatic mission in Romania. Balasuriya said that Romania and the entire Eastern European region provide huge potential for Sri Lanka’s exports and a gateway to Central Asia. “The total trade turnover in 2019 was $ 26.15 million. Sri Lanka’s exports to Romania in 2019 amounted to $ 9.67 million. This was a significant decline from 2018 where exports amounted to $ 11.3 million. Sri Lanka’s exports to Romania include rubber products, apparel, tea, and spices. As Romania is a European Union (EU) member country, Sri Lanka’s exports to Romania enjoy duty-free access for 6,000 product categories under the EU Generalised Scheme/System of Preferences Plus scheme.” Romania has also become a new and potential market for tourism. In 2018, 6,000 Romanian tourists visited Sri Lanka, said Balasuriya. However, in 2019, as a result of the Easter Sunday attacks, there was a slight decrease, with tourist arrivals amounting to 5,463, he added. According to the State Minister, Romania is becoming an important employment destination for increasing numbers of skilled and semi-skilled Sri Lankans since 2010. The number of Sri Lankans employed by Romanian companies has increased from around 200 in 2010 to over 8,000 by 2020. They are mostly skilled and semi-skilled personnel employed in the apparel, hospitality, and construction sectors. “The numbers are expected to increase, as there are already 14 Sri Lankan recruitment agencies processing applications of prospective Sri Lankan workers. Romanian companies too, have been recruiting Sri Lankans directly. Given the above context, a draft ‘Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Labour’ between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of the Republic of Romania has been formally submitted to the Romanian Government for its review and concurrence.“ There are approximately 200 Sri Lankan students studying in Romania in various fields including medicine and engineering, Balasuriya added. Romania has a resident Embassy in Colombo and co-operation at the political level has also expanded, and bilateral consultations between the two countries at the Foreign Secretary level take place annually.


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