Sri Lanka's online job bank for foreign job seekers becomes futile

The Online Job Bank established by Marketing Division of Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) to assist foreign job seekers in Sri Lanka fails to fast track the procedures in finding overseas job vacancies for local applicants.

The aim of establishing Online Job Bank was to facilitate the registration of Sri Lankan job seekers for foreign employment.

They have been given an opportunity to register themselves directly through the SLBFE website or through Head office or any branch office through the Job Bank facility.

An application is valid for a maximum of 02 years from the date of submission to SLBFE Job Bank.

Although this programme is aimed at facilitating prospective employers /Agents to find job seekers through SLBFE Job Bank, it has failed to live up to expectations, a government audit inspection claimed.

17,663 persons had been registered there in the year 2016 and 2017; and the information of persons registered in it had been reviewed in 120,462 instances by job agencies.

However 1,368 from registered persons had only been received opportunities for foreign employment.

The amount registered in job bank had been increased by 8405 (182 per cent) in the year 2017 as compared with the year 2016.

However 9 per cent had only been in abroad from the amount registered in the year 2016. That percentage had further been increased up to 07 per cent as at the end of the year 2017, audit report observed.

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment is currently constrained in terms of promotion – it lacks sufficient personnel, time and resources to carry out promotional activities.

Job Bank management has little or no contacts outside the Middle East and officials have difficulty in ensuring that the job orders and employers are genuine/legitimate.

There is a lack of capacity to supply skilled and professional categories. The skills on offer by Sri Lankan migrants do not match up to the skills demanded by destination countries.

There is a lack of cooperation among licensed agencies because of the intense competition in the market pushing SLFEB’S Job Bank into non entity and making it ineffective, official sources said.