From Kuwait to Korea : the diversification of Sri Lankan labour migration

For decades, the stereotypical Sri Lankan migrant worker has been a low-wage female domestic servant in Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. But the stereotype no longer represents the reality: since the late 1990s nearly half of the migrant workforce has been male, and many migrants are opting for new destinations in Europe and Asia rather than the Middle East. The increasing heterogeneity of the migrant workforce underscores the need for a better understanding of the relationships between gender, occupation, destination and migration outcomes. This paper reviews recent trends in Sri Lankan migration and uses data from a household survey to profile rural migrant-sending households and investigate differences in socio-economic characteristics, destinations and occupations, remitting behaviour and the role of remittances in the household economy. (J Asia Pac Econ/GIGA)