MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment sees no alarm on the employment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) especially in the Middle East even with the continuing decline of oil prices.
In a press briefing Friday, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz presented the weekly monitoring report of the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices showing no direct effect on the OFW employment due to oil prices slump.
There are no monitored reports on a drop in job offers in Riyadh and Kuwait. The Labor Office in Dubai reported an 18.78 percent decrease in job orders but not in the oil sector. There is an observed 1.11 percent decrease in job orders processed in Eastern regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however, it is not directly attributed to the oil price decline. Rather, it is possibly due to Saudization and fiscal constraints of companies.
The DOLE, however, monitored an 82 percent decline in job orders in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from 85 in the first week to 16 in the fourth week of the month. Oil and gas HR personnel reported less manpower demand because of non-renewal of projects and suppliers contract termination.
Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma said, “the national government has been ensuring a whole of government approach in looking into the welfare and safety of our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).”
Following the instruction of President Aquino, the DOLE has prepared to ensure employment and livelihood opportunities for returning OFWs who may be affected by political and economic security threats and emergencies.
“Using a scenario of 10 to 20 percent returning OFWs for semi-skilled category, there are available local jobs for them in the construction, transport, and logistics sectors in the country if they wish to avail such,“ Baldoz said.
Some 44,000 jobs are also created from the 12 Public-Private Partnership projects that have been awarded and could particularly offer potential employment to semi and low skilled workers especially in the construction sector.
The DOLE also spearheads a Human Resource Development Roadmapping exercise in cooperation with various sectors to complement their respective industry roadmaps.
Semi and low-skilled OFWs may qualify for the HR requirements of mass housing, aerospace, iron and steel, metal casting, copper, and petrochemicals.
The professionals and skilled workers may take available jobs particularly for nurses, engineers, managers and accountants.
“Where there is surplus in supply, OFWS may opt to retool for other professional-related occupations,” Baldoz said.
The HRD Roadmap also identified jobs on mass housing, biodesiel, metal casting and petrochemicals as potentially available for professionals and skilled workers.
For Household Service Workers(HSWs), they would have alternative jobs at home. They can explore alternative jobs in hotel, restaurant, tourism, and other service-related sectors. Returning HSWs may also venture in entrepreneurship offered by the private sector.s
Earlier, Coloma and Baldoz led the launching of the Assist WELL Program of the DOLE, a convergence program of DOLE agencies aimed to provide free Welfare, Employment, Legal, and Livelihood assistance to OFWs coming home on account of crises and emergencies in their places of work abroad.
Currently, returning OFWs may avail of the services offered in 18 Assist WELL Processing Centers nationwide.
DOLE closely monitors effect of oil price slump on OFWs
