More job opportunities in Qatar

(March 27, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Government of Sri Lanka is expected to send 100,000 Sri Lankans for employment in the State of Qatar. The Agreement on Manpower Employment in the State of Qatar and the Government of Sri Lanka was signed in January 2008 with the objective of regulating the employment of Sri Lankan workforce in the State of Qatar.

According to the sources of the Ministry of Foreign Employment and Welfare Development, this would markedly boost the number of Sri Lankans employed in Qatar to 230,000. The employment opportunities would be extended to skilled workers in the construction field and artisans, among others.

In addition, the Minister of Foreign Employment and Welfare Development of Sri Lanka, accentuated the need for Qatar to implement a systematic insurance scheme for Sri Lankan workers. This is in order to comprehensively cover them both during working hours as well as off duty hours. The Labour Minister of the State of Qatar has agreed to address this matter.

According to the Labour Minister of Qatar, the Service Agreement introduced by the Qatar Government would be applied to Sri Lankan workers as well. Further, measures would be taken by the Qatar Government to educate Qatar employers on the stipulations on worker rights and responsibilities stipulated in the service agreement.

Meanwhile, the President Ijaz Abbasi of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Pakistan has accrued favourable trade balance for Sri Lanka.

The FTA was signed on 1st August, 2002 and came into force on 12th June, 2005. The trade between the two countries has almost doubled since 2002. It was estimated that the trade was USD 170 million at the time the FTA came into force. In January 2007, it has risen to USD 270 million.

The representatives of the two countries discussed issues of relevance in Islamabad vis-à-vis the existing FTA and assessed the potentiality of it, which could reach to USD 1 billion in the immediate future.
- Sri Lanka Guardian