ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lankans chase foreign jobs to help families survive inflation

Passport issuances jump as weak rupee offers chance to maximize remittances

People wait to collect their passports at Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Department in June. Issuances in 2022 have already topped the full-year figure for 2021.   © Reuters

COLOMBO -- Sri Lankans fed up with the country's economic crisis are increasingly desperate to go abroad, where they can make the most of the rupee's plunge and help their families survive hyperinflation through heftier remittances.

The foreign currency-starved government, in turn, appears all too happy to let them go, though experts warn that the South Asian nation is at risk of worsening brain drain.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more