Sri Lanka has been going through a financial crisis for the last few years. In such a situation, the Sri Lankan government has approached the IMF and the UN for loans and help. But amidst all this, Saudi Arabia has emerged as the biggest helper of Sri Lanka.
Saudi Arabia has become the number one country in the world in terms of providing employment to the people of Sri Lanka. Although people from Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh go to Saudi Arabia in search of employment, but according to the data of the year 2023, more than 63,000 people from Sri Lanka have got employment in Saudi, which is the highest in Asia.
Something similar is going to be seen this year also, hundreds of nurses from Sri Lanka are going to work in hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The initial process regarding this has also been completed. The media secretary of the country’s Labor and Foreign Employment Ministry said that to meet the increasing demand in the medical sector, doctors and paramedical staff from Sri Lanka will go to Saudi Arabia. He also told that the first round of recruitment interviews were held in Colombo last week.
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Jobs for one thousand nurses in a year
In the initial phase, there is a plan to recruit 1,000 nurses in a 12-month rolling program. In the first round, out of 400 applicants, 95 nurses have been selected to serve in Saudi government hospitals. To meet the demand for paramedical staff, the second round will start in August this year. If Sri Lankan medical workers work in Saudi Arabia, they will get an opportunity to work at a good salary.
How much salary will you get?
A big impact of these jobs can be seen on the economy of Sri Lanka which is facing recession. The average income of these nurses is about 5,250 riyals (about $1,400), which is much higher than the salary a nurse receives in Sri Lanka. Let us tell you that given the annual migration of approximately 2 million Sri Lankans in search of employment opportunities abroad, the country is facing its most serious financial crisis since 2022. The country’s economy is heavily dependent on this foreign currency.
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