ADDIS ABABA — More than 26,000 Ethiopian citizens who underwent specialized training have secured employment in foreign countries during the month of July, according to Labor and Skills Minister Muferihat Kamil. The announcement was made in a social media post where the minister detailed the progress of the ministry's foreign employment plan and outlined future steps.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, the Ministry has taken significant strides in enhancing foreign employment opportunities, not only in the Middle East but also by initiating the deployment of trained and partially trained Ethiopian workers to European countries. This expansion marks a successful milestone in the ministry’s efforts to diversify employment destinations for Ethiopian citizens.

The minister emphasized that service delivery has been improved to be fair, fast, and flexible, ensuring the protection of citizens' rights and safety. As a result, 26,195 citizens were trained and deployed abroad for work in July alone. She also highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts among stakeholders, which have been crucial in organizing training institutions to provide high-quality training that meets the demands of the global labor market.

In the recently concluded Ethiopian Fiscal Year, approximately 345,000 Ethiopian citizens secured overseas employment opportunities. The recent Overseas Employment Reform has been instrumental in safeguarding the safety, rights, and interests of these workers. The bilateral employment agreements with destination countries have also contributed to establishing good employer-employee relations, further protecting the rights of Ethiopian workers abroad.