Job prospects abroad remain bright - DOLE
By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star) Updated January 01, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (24)

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday that employment prospects abroad remained bright for construction workers and other highly skilled Filipino workers in the coming year.
Labor Undersecretary Danny Cruz said at least 10,000 jobs await Filipino construction and other skilled workers in Guam in the next five years with the planned construction of new US military facilities there.
“The construction of huge US military facilities is expected to open job opportunities for Filipinos in the third quarter of this year, but the hiring of workers may start earlier because there are other buildings to be constructed aside from the military facilities,” Cruz disclosed.
Cruz noted that the construction of military facilities suffered a minor setback due to financial difficulties, but he said the project would definitely start this year.
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Jennifer Manalili also reported that Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries are also expected to hire more Filipino construction and other workers this year.
“There are a lot of job opportunities for Filipino workers in the Middle East because of the construction boom which is expected to continue until 2020,” Manalili pointed out.
Manalili said new hospitals are also set to open in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and thus expected to generate more employment for Filipino health workers in 2011.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz also reported that employers from Malta have expressed their desire to hire more Filipino caregivers.

Citing reports from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO), Baldoz said many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) now working in Malta are getting high salaries.
“Malta’s minimum wage is 620 euro ($820) and Filipino workers there receive not less than this minimum wage amount. Besides, Filipino workers in Malta are allowed to do part-time jobs after eight hours of regular work,” Baldoz said.
Baldoz, however, warned jobseekers desiring to work abroad to check their prospective employers, as well as their recruitment agencies, with the POEA to ensure that there are valid job orders and that they would undergo legal application and deployment processes.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said new employment policies in the UAE and other countries in the Middle East could slow down hiring of OFWs in 2011.
Monterona said that the UAE government is implementing 20 percent job reservation for its nationals as part of its labor market reforms.
“This week, the UAE labor ministry has been cited in various local news reports that it will require all companies to have at least one-fifth of their staff as Emirate citizens,” Monterona disclosed.
He added that the UAE labor ministry is also expected to implement a quota system in hiring expatriate workers in line with its aim boosting employment of its citizens over foreign workers.
Monterona said UAE has been hard hit by the global crisis, thus it is opting to enforce labor market reforms that would lessen the impact on its citizens.
He said that Saudi Arabia is also implementing a “Saudization” program requiring private companies to hire its citizens up to about five percent of total staff.
“If Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been in the 1st and 2nd place, respectively, of the top ten destinations of OFWs from 2003 to 2009, since these countries are now introducing labor market reforms geared towards more restrictions, then we are seeing a dim prospect of OFW deployment by 2011,” Monterona said.

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