ආයුෙබෝවන්!

(AUYBOWAN)
The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank
Institute (ADBI), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governments they represent. ADBI does not guarantee the
accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be
consistent with ADB official terms.

EMPLOYMENT PERMIT SYSTEM

Presented By: H P Sumanasekara
Ministry of Foreign Employment
Sri Lanka
INTRODUCTION

1. Sri Lanka is one out six countries which

entered into a MOU with the Republic of Korea
in the year 2004 to initiate Employment Permit
System

2. At the inception, only the manufacturing

sector was opened for Sri Lanka

3. Sri Lankans are presently selected for three

sectors namely, Manufacturing, Fishery and
Constructions
 INTRODUCTION OF SECTORS

Construction

Manufacturing Service

Introduction
of Sector

Agriculture &
Fishing
Stockbreeding
 RELEVANT AGENCIES OF EPS
kore Sri Lanka
(Sending
a Country)
MO Ministry of Foreign
Ministry of U Employment
Employment and (Counterpart
Labor Government
Ministry)
G2
G

Field
HRD KOREA Actors
Sri Lanka Bureau of
(Organaization
Foreign Employment
under MOEL) Sri Priva (Sending Agency)
Lanka EPS Center te
Secto
r
DEPARTURES OF SRI LANKANS BY
SECTORS UNDER EPS
Sector No. of Departures
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Manufa 5,339 3,671 4,397 3,786 3,514 4,331
cturing
Fishery - 549 425 437 1,319 2,168
Constru - - - 80 170 118
ction
Agricult 3 - 2 3 3 12
ure
Service 7 1 5 1 1
&
others
Total 5,349 4,221 4,829 4,307 5,007 6,629
 THE NUMBER OF SRI LANKANS ENTRY
The number of entry workers (Sri Lankans)
8000 7,350 (2016.12.31)
53,729 workes
7000 6,620

6000
5,337
4,838 5,000
5000 4,359
4,118 4,176 4,303
4000
2,974
3000
2,166 2,275
2000

1000
214
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

The number of Sri Lankans entry by industries

60,000
47,748
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000 5,019
544 392 27
0
DEPARTURES FROM 2011 TO 2016
6000

5000

4000
Manufacturing
Fishery
3000
Construction
Agriculture
2000
Service

1000

0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
 BEST PRACTICES OF SRI LANKA
BUREAU OF FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT
IN EPS MANAGEMENT
HOW THE SENDING AGENCY REDUCE
THE SENDING PERIOD OF EMPLOYEES

•Police Clearance Reports are issued by Police

Head Quarters within 21 days (If no adverse
records)
•Ensure that each job seeker in the SPAS(Sending
Public Agency System) holds a valid Police Report
at any given moment
All the job seekers in the SPAS are given pre-
departure training in advance and keep them
ready
•Two state owned hospitals have been assigned to
conduct medical examinations in an accurate and
reliable manner and dispatch reports within 6
days
HOW THE SENDING AGENCY REDUCE
THE SENDING PERIOD OF EMPLOYEES

•Loan facilities have been arranged through four

state owned banks to finance cost of recruitment
of workers
Those who passed the EPS Topick are educated
on requirements soon after the announcement of
results for the preparation
Staff who engage in the Employment Permit
System at the Sending Agency is subjected
continuous training in collaboration with EPS
Center, Colombo
•Internalprocesses and systems have been
developed in accordance with the standards of
ISO 9002
HOW THE SENDING AGENCY REDUCE
THE SENDING PERIOD OF EMPLOYEES

•Systems have been automated as much as

possible to enhance the efficiency
•Entire
process is handled under three units
namely,
1. IT Unit
2. File Completion Unit
3. Departure Unit
and progress is monitored throughout.
• A separate Travel Unit will be established soon
by recruiting competent staff to address the
issue of purchasing air tickets
HOW THE SENDING AGENCY
SUPPORT RETURNEES FROM KOREA

•Reintegration programmes are conducted

annually in collaboration with EPS Office in
Colombo and returnees are educated on the
following areas
1. Financial management

2. Self employment for local market

3. Export Oriented industries

4. Opportunities available in Korean companies

in Sri Lanka
5. Available bank loan facilities

• Welfare schemes such as scholarships for

children, loan facilities for self employment
and construction of houses at concessionary
interest rates etc.
CBT CENTER IN COLOMBO TO FACILITATE
EMPLOYMENT PERMIT SYSTEM
HAPPY RETURN PROGRAMME HELD IN
2016 AT THE SLBFE
 METHODS TAKEN TO REDUCE /
PREVENT THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL
STAYERS

•Bonding system

Sector Value of the Bond

Manufacturing & LKR 1.5 Million
Construction (USD 10,000)
Fishery LKR 2.0 Million
(USD 13,333)
Two Sureties A government servant and
a family member
PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING
EDUCATION
1. Prospective workers are given 10 days residential
training at three dedicated centers island wide on
the following areas
• Physical training
• Korean language ,culture and the society
• Workers responsibilities
• Financial management
• Conditions of employment contract and
obligations under bonding system and penalties
• ( Fishery sector workers are given a special
training of 5 days out of 10 days on fishing and
sailing)
• Matters related to workplace , available health
and insurance facilities and benefits for foreign
workers in Korea
• Industrial safety
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
(MOU)
 Between the Ministry of Employment and Labor of the
Republic of Korea and Ministry of Foreign Employment of
Republic of Sri Lanka on the sending and Receiving of
Workers under the Employment Permit System.
 The purpose of the MOU is to sustain a viable framework
for cooperation between the two countries and enhance
transparency and efficiency in the process of sending Sri
Lankan workers to the Republic of Korea, and
 Respecting the principles of equality and mutual
benefit,and
 Desiring to enhance the existing friendly relations between
the two countries through cooperation in the fields of
employment and labor affairs , and human capacity
building , and
 Recognizing the benefits to be derived from such
cooperation by both countries.
 IMPLEMENTATION PLANS FOR YEAR
2018
Recruitment and Deployment
 A system to ensure that all those who got through
the EPS -TOPICK are having valid police reports at a
given moment will be continued.
 Therefore, a system is in operation to request for a
fresh police report for each job seeker in the web one
month in advance prior to expiration of the current
police report
 The program of providing pre-departure training for all
the passers of EPS TOPIK in advance (prior to receipt
of employment contracts) will be continued
 All passers of EPS TOPIK will be educated on the
requirements of employment permit system such as
police clearance, medical examinations, bonding
requirements to prevent illegal stay, financial
requirements etc. soon after the announcement of
result
Employment and Sojourn
 Plans for enhancing employer’ preference to reduce
workers employment change and workplace desertion
 The mandatory training on fishing and sailing for
fishery sector workers will be continued
 The awareness to prevent workers from changing of
employment and desertion of the workplace will be
continued at the pre-departure training and final
briefing on the day of departure
 The programs of Sri Lanka Embassy in Seoul to
educate newly arrived workers and existing workers
will be continued
 Referral of files of the illegal workers to the Attorney
General of Sri Lanka will be continued
 The institution of legal action against those who
violated the bond of LKR 2 million and LKR 1.5
million as applicable will be continued
 Return
 Plans to reduce the rate of illegal stay and increase the
rate of voluntary return among all EPS workers,
including re-hired workers
 Measures to implemented from 2018 to prevent illegal
stay of re-entered workers who entered Korea either
through the re-entry system for committed workers or
by passing the special EPS-TOPIK and stayed for more
then 9 years and 8 months
 Implementation plans to prevent illegal stay and
encourage voluntary return
 Self employment opportunities in respect of 16 areas
will be distributed among the workers prior to their
departure so that they can plan for the same while
employing in Korea Bonding system and institution of
legal action against illegal workers will be continued
 The SLBFE will not provide any financial assistance
for illegal workers in the case of hospitalization or
injury or death while being employed in Korea
illegally.
Photographs of Pre departure Training

Physical Training Training on Fishing and

Sailing

Industrial Training
THANK YOU