PANAJI
Amid a worrying trend of Goans immigrating abroad for better career openings and getting trapped in fake recruitment scams, the Goa government said that there is no “dearth of job opportunities” in the State or India, yet youths prefer blue-collar jobs in foreign countries.
Minister for Labour and Employment Atanasio ‘Babush’ Monserrate, revealed that on average 10-15 government employees resign every year and immigrate. He also said that employees misuse the ‘entitlement of leave without pay’ citing personal or medical reasons to visit abroad and look for new openings or even work there during those long leave periods.
As per the date, from 2014 to 2024 close to 26,000 people gave up Indian citizenship in Goa. “There are many more who are working there on Indian passports. This does not mean that there are no job opportunities in Goa. We have many. But unfortunately, our youths prefer white-collar jobs, that is the government job, which according to them is the safest and stable,” Monserrate said.
The Minister ruled out an employment crisis in the State. “See, these people who are going abroad or planning to go… they have their own dreams… it has nothing to do with whether there are jobs in Goa or not. They have made up their mind that they want to go abroad and work. There they are paid in dollars or pounds; the money is all that matters for living and their target is that,” the minister said.
“It is here, that they fall prey to all such fake agents, who lure them with various promises or incentives, take the money and then ultimately our people are made to suffer. It is very important that before going for jobs in foreign countries through agents, we verify their antecedent, crosscheck even about the company who are applying for,” he said.
Reiterating how the government employees also resign and go abroad for jobs or even surrender their Indian citizenship, the minister said, "This they do to secure their children's future…if on an average, 100 Goans go abroad every year, there would be 20-25 government servants.”
Any Goan born before 1961 and their descendants of three generations can claim a Portuguese passport and have the ability to move to the UK while it is a member of the European Union. Many Goans are availing of this provision.
For government employees, their job in Goa serves as a safety net while they take leave and seek employment abroad with the help of a Portuguese passport. Most of them move to London.
“There are many who, even after being government employees, take leave, go abroad and work. It is illegal, but unfortunately, we have no mechanism to track this,” he conceded.
Monserrate said that it is high time that the government streamlined the long leave concept.
