Dec 06, Colombo: In the first eight months of this year Sri Lankan migrant workers have remitted US$ 3.9 billion, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) announced.

The Chairman of the SLBFE Amal Senalankadhikara said the remittances have been increased by 15.2 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

Around 1.7 million Sri Lankans are employed in the Middle East, Europe, East Asia, Northern America, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Asia and Eastern Europe, points out the SLFEB chairman.

He further said that the SLFEB has commenced a number of programs to increase the number of high-earning skilled workers while discouraging the employment of female domestic aides due to the abuses they face in foreign countries and the disruption to their family lives.