Sri Lanka to strengthen pension scheme for migrant workers & tourism sector

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, made a special statement in Parliament yesterday (March 15) regarding the contributory pension scheme already introduced for the tourism sector and migrant workers.

Expressing his views, the Minister stated that the pension scheme for these groups has already been initiated and that steps will be taken to further strengthen and expand its implementation in the future.

Further elaborating, the Minister said:

“The demand for a pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers employed abroad has existed for a long time. Similarly, many individuals in the tourism sector, such as drivers, tour guides, and other workers in the broader tourism industry, often find themselves without financial security in old age. Therefore, a proposal has been made to introduce a pension scheme for them as well.

“Currently, we have the Social Security Fund under the Ministry of Social Empowerment. An agreement has already been signed between this fund and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), through which a pension scheme has been established for Sri Lankan migrant workers. However, many migrant workers remain unaware of this initiative.

“We aim to strengthen this contributory pension scheme by raising awareness and encouraging workers to make monthly contributions, which will be used to provide them with pensions upon retirement. The pension scheme for those in the tourism and migrant employment sectors has already been initiated, and we are taking steps to promote and expand its reach through awareness campaigns.”