Sri Lankans to be recruited for jobs in Israel only under government agreements from 2027

Daily Mirror and Newswire report that the Israeli government has decided Sri Lankan workers will be recruited for employment in Israel exclusively through government-to-government agreements from January 1, 2027. Newsfirst also reports that recruitment will operate under bilateral government agreements from that date, following an announcement by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE).

Newswire reports that the existing programme, under which licensed foreign employment agencies recruit workers, is scheduled to end on December 31, 2026. The new policy is to cover construction, industrial, commerce and services jobs, including sectors where private agencies had previously been allowed to recruit, according to Newswire.

Newswire says the SLBFE reported that the Sri Lankan Embassy in Israel communicated the policy decision. The Bureau has not yet announced the new system’s recruitment quotas or selection procedures, according to Newswire.

Newswire reports that the SLBFE urged people seeking work in Israel to be wary of offers from agencies or individuals, and advised them not to pay for such offers or take part in private agencies’ skills tests, interviews or other recruitment procedures until further official instructions. It also advised the public to follow announcements from the relevant ministry and the SLBFE, according to Newswire.

Newswire reports that people who have already made lawful payments for Israeli employment were told not to be unnecessarily concerned. The SLBFE has requested information from licensed agencies about those payments and plans to decide on next steps after receiving it, according to Newswire.

Written automatically by AI from the outlets’ own reports, and not reviewed by an editor. It can be wrong — the original report is the authority.