Sri Lanka moves to shield migrant workers from crises through enhanced social protection

Sri Lanka moves to shield migrant workers from crises through enhanced social protection

National consultation calls for stronger, better-coordinated social protection systems in countries of origin and destination to protect migrant workers and their families before, during and after crises.

14 August 2026

COLOMBO (ILO News) - A stakeholder consultation in Sri Lanka identified practical ways of strengthening social protection systems to enhance crisis preparedness and safeguard migrant workers from the effects of crises, conflict and geopolitical instability.

Organized by the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka, the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy, and the International Labour Organization's (ILO) STREAM Programme, the consultation on the "Middle East War Situation and Its Impact on Sri Lankan Migrant Workers and Preparedness Mechanisms" drew together 80 representatives of the Government of Sri Lanka, workers' and employers' organizations, academia, civil society, international organizations as well as Government representatives from Bangladesh and Nepal. Participants agreed that crisis preparedness means more than bringing migrant workers home safely; it also means ensuring that they and their families retain access to social protection, including healthcare before, during and after crises.

The absence of such protections, participants noted, increases the risks of indebtedness, psychosocial distress and livelihood insecurity for migrant workers and their families. "Protecting migrant workers during a crisis cannot begin with evacuation and end with their return home," said Joni Simpson, ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. "Preparedness must be built into labour migration and social protection systems before a crisis occurs. When disruption strikes, migrant workers should not have to navigate it alone. Institutions in countries of origin and destination must be ready to protect their rights, preserve access to income security and health care, and support their families throughout displacement, return and recovery."

The ILO emphasized that emergency assistance, although indispensable, cannot replace comprehensive social protection throughout the migration cycle. Primary responsibility for protecting migrant workers during employment rests with destination countries. Countries of origin play an important complementary role by addressing gaps through unilateral measures, such as migrant welfare funds, social security schemes and insurance mechanisms. Given their design, these measures can offer greater flexibility in responding to emerging needs during crises. For example, they can provide short-term income protection after job or wage loss, offer interim injury or disability protection while compensation claims are pending, or help workers access the benefits and protections to which they are entitled in destination countries.

Participants called for further consideration of how unilateral measures may be progressively repositioned to complement, rather than replace, protection at destination. They highlighted such efforts as essential to ensure coherent, continuous protection for migrant workers and their families - an especially important issue for Sri Lanka given the scale of labour migration to the Gulf. Data presented by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) shows that more than 73 per cent of workers registered for foreign employment in 2026 were destined for the Middle East, predominantly Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

While remittance inflows have remained resilient, participants noted that prolonged instability could affect recruitment, working hours, wage payments, contract renewals and return migration. Employment consequences may manifest in different ways. "The effects of a crisis may appear as a 'soft shock' rather than widespread job losses," said P.G.G.S. Yapa, Additional General Manager of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. "Workers may remain formally employed while experiencing reduced working hours, delayed wages, denied leave or unpaid social protection benefits and compensations at destination." Domestic and other low-paid workers face heightened risks because of their dependence on employers for accommodation, mobility and access to assistance. "Preparedness must extend beyond evacuation and emergency relief," noted Mr Yapa. "It should include mechanisms to protect workers' incomes and well-being during disruption, provide special support to those in vulnerable situations, and ensure that returnees and their families can access effective social protection and sustainable reintegration support."

Participants identified the need to better connect Sri Lanka's migration welfare, insurance, social security, consular assistance and reintegration mechanisms. They highlighted the importance of predictable financing, updated and interoperable worker data, clear institutional responsibilities, effective referral and communication protocols, and mechanisms that can be rapidly expanded during emergencies. "Sri Lanka's policy framework increasingly recognizes that migrant workers must be protected throughout the migration cycle, not only when they are in distress or need to be repatriated," said Nikarilkanth Kanthasamy, Senior Assistant Secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. "The National Policy and Action Plan on Migration for Employment 2023-2027 calls for migrant workers and their families to be treated as a distinct group within national crisis response strategies. The priority now is to translate this commitment into coordinated and accessible social protection measures that safeguard income, health and family well-being before, during and after a crisis."

The national consultation followed a technical regional exchange convened by the ILO STREAM Programme on 13 August, which brought together a small group of experts from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka to share experiences of unilateral measures and discuss how they may need to evolve as social protection systems in GCC destination countries develop, while continuing to address remaining gaps. The exchange also explored ways to meet the social protection needs of migrant workers in irregular situations, strengthen the role of bilateral labour migration agreements in advancing social protection, and build stronger bilateral and regional cooperation across the South Asia-Gulf corridor. Participants emphasized the value of South Asian countries developing more coordinated approaches and speaking with a common voice in their engagement with GCC destination countries to achieve more effective and comprehensive social protection for migrant workers and their families.

The ILO STREAM Programme (Extending social protection to migrant workers and their families in the South Asia-Gulf corridor) is a multi-country, multi-partner initiative designed to expand inclusive, gender-responsive and rights-based social protection coverage for migrant workers and their families across the South Asia-GCC migration corridor. Implemented by the ILO in partnership with and with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Foreign Policy Instrument of the European Union, and the Ford Foundation, STREAM aims to create a world where every migrant worker - no matter their gender, status, or sector - can access the social protection they deserve to live and work in dignity.