Sunday, January 07, 2007
800T overseas jobs up for grabs for Pinoys until 2009: labor chief
AN ESTIMATED 800,000 jobs abroad for professionals and skilled workers will be made available to Filipinos until 2009, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) announced.
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Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said the “high-end” jobs are from the telecommunications, information technology, medical, tourism and the construction sectors.
“The prospects are bright for the next three years (for OFWs) because we have a conservative estimate of more than 800,000 high-end jobs open in the next three years and these are over and above what we have already deployed,” Brion said.
He said the government plans to deploy 1.9 million Filipinos for high-end jobs in the Middle East, Asia and Europe until 2009.
Citing records of the Philippine Overseas Administration (POEA), Brion said there are about 1.09 million Filipinos deployed to other countries as of Dec. 31, 2006.
Saudi Arabia-based labor attaché Rustico Dela Fuente revealed that the demand for Filipino workers, particularly engineers, welders, pipe fitters and surveyors, is expected to increase this year with the construction of four economic cities, each as large as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), over the next five years.
Dela Fuente said the construction of King Abdullah City is expected to demand about nearly a million workers and the government is targeting about 20 to 25 percent of jobs for 360,000 Filipino workers.
Aside from construction workers, engineers, architects, technology workers, Brion said there would also be job opportunities for accountants, market analysts, and economists.
Meanwhile, Japan-based labor attaché Reydeluz Conferido, said aside from 8,000 to 10,000 marine officers needed in Japan over the next three to five years, the market for skilled workers in that country will also open.
“There would be a need for computer-aided designers, car designers, and telecommunications engineers,” he said.
Conferido said China, Malaysia, and Singapore will also be needing workers in their resort and tourism industries while Brunei's oil, natural gas and petrochemicals sector will also need workers.
For the European and US markets, Geneva-based labor attaché Manuel Imson said Europe and the Americas will need workers in the information technology, manufacturing, medical, health, construction, production, banking, finance, and maritime sectors would. (MSN/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (January 7, 2007 issue)
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