OFWs canceling jobs in Hong Kong — recruiters

Recruiters have expressed concern over reports that several overseas Filipino workers bound for Hong Kong have been canceling their employment contracts following the August 23 hostage tragedy in Manila where eight tourists from the Chinese region were killed.

In a statement on Sunday, the Society of Hong Kong-Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP) said its member-agencies are alarmed that Filipino applicants have also been apprehensive of taking jobs in Hong Kong.

“Some departing workers for Hong Kong have withdrawn their contracts and many applicants are now hesitant to apply for [jobs in] Hong Kong,” said SHARP president Alfredo Palmiery without providing numbers.

Palmiery nevertheless said their counterpart associations in Hong Kong believe the August 23 hostage-taking incident will not affect the status of Filipino workers there.

He, however, warned that Hong Kong employers may be forced to get other nationalities for household workers if departing Filipino workers continue canceling their employment contracts, and if there would be fewer job applicants from the country.

“In fact, there are more Indonesian helpers now in Hong Kong than Filipinos,” he added.

For their part, Hong Kong employers have assured applicants that Hong Kong employers will still hire Filipino workers.

In the same statement, Thomas Chan, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Employment Agencies, said that no job order or contract has been canceled so far by employers of his member-agencies.

“Hong Kong employers will continue to hire Filipino household workers,” said Chan.

Tony Lau, president of the General Chamber of Manpower Agencies, meanwhile, said none of his member-agencies have reported cases of terminated workers after the hostage-taking incident.

“Employers still want Filipino household workers because of their proven reliability and loyalty to the employers. Many employers prefer them over those of other nationalities primarily because of their proficiency in English language,” Lau said.

If OFWs continue canceling their employment in Hong Kong, however, Palmiery said the Philippines may lose the Hong Kong market, which will pose “tremendous” effects on the Philippine economy.

“Many Philippine businesses based in Hong Kong, [such as] remittance centers, banks and real estate companies would definitely be affected,” Palmiery said.

Government records show some 100,000 Filipino workers were deployed in Hong Kong in 2009, about 25,000 of whom are household workers. Filipinos in the region sent in some $340 million in remittances last year.

“Hong Kong is the best destination for Filipino household workers. Aside from its proximity to the Philippines and the high salary (of workers), there are very few welfare cases compared to those in the Middle East,” Palmiery said. – KBK, GMANews.TV