According to statistics of the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau, during the past eight months upto August compared to males 34.1 percent of females have gone abroad and by sending trained personnel the government has been able to increase the foreign exchange received by the country, said the minister.

The statistics further say that most of the people were from Western province while Uva province was the lowest.  Most have gone to Kuwait for jobs and during this period 37,002 have left for housemaid jobs.  

In 2016 too the highest number of people who left for jobs were from Western province while the lowest was from Uva. The highest number left for jobs in Saudi Arabia.

Registering at the SLFEB prior to leaving allows the workers to enjoy the benefits offered by the government while life insurance is given at the time of registration. Their children are also offered scholarships as well, said the minister.

In 2016, 17,495 professionals have gone overseas for jobs.