Opposition Leader alleges fraud in Israel job recruitment process

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged serious irregularities in the recruitment process for Sri Lankan youth seeking employment in Israel, claiming that job seekers are being overcharged through private agencies while official channels remain underused.

He raised the issue yesterday (06) during a meeting with a group of youth staging a peaceful protest at Polduwa Junction over delays and costs linked to overseas job placements.

Addressing the media at the protest, Premadasa said thousands of young Sri Lankans aspired to secure employment abroad in order to earn a stable income and support their families, noting that migrant workers made a significant contribution to the country's foreign exchange earnings an economy.

He referred to the bilateral labour agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Israel in 2023, which had been designed to facilitate 14,000 employment opportunities, and alleged that the recruitment mechanism originally agreed upon had since been altered.

According to Opposition Leader, the original arrangement had envisaged 70 percent of workers being recruited through government channels and 30 percent through private agencies, but claimed that this ratio had been reversed in 2025 and 2026.

Describing the development as a serious fraud, he alleged that applicants recruited through government channels paid around Rs. 400,000, whereas those who went through private foreign employment agencies were charged approximately Rs. 4.5 million, with private agencies said to be earning around US 5,000 dollars for every worker they recruited.

Premadasa said approximately 3,500 qualified applicants were currently awaiting deployment to Israel and pledged to raise the matter in Parliament.

He called on the government to restore the original recruitment ratio of 70 percent through official channels and 30 percent through private agencies, arguing that doing so would ensure greater fairness and ease the financial burden on workers.

He also urged the government to negotiate with Israeli authorities to expand official recruitment channels, enabling more Sri Lankans to access employment opportunities at significantly lower cost, adding that applicants ought to be able to secure such placements by paying Rs. 400,000 rather than Rs. 4.5 million.