Sri Lanka, June 2 -- The number of individuals seeking employment overseas has reduced by about 20% in comparison to recent years, according to the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA).

The reduction has been attributed to the eroding public trust in both recruitment agencies and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), which according to the Secretary of the union Mohamed Farooq Mohamed is a campaign carried out by "a group of people who claim to be social activists".

The Secretary claims that certain factions are working to damage the foreign employment sector which has had an impact on the number of people seeking employment overseas.

He also noted that the reduction in the number of people seeking ...