Fewer Pinoys hired abroad in 2010 – POEA

MANILA, Philippines – Fewer Filipino workers were hired abroad this year due to the global financial crisis, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has reported.

POEA deputy administrator Stella Banawis said the number of Filipinos deployed abroad in 2010 dropped by three percent compared to last year.

“Based on our data, deployment for this year appeared to be on the downtrend,” she said, citing figures as of the third quarter.

Banawis said as of September this year, POEA recorded total deployment 1,070,588 workers.

The figure was lower than the 1,112,840 total deployment a year ago, she added.

Banawis said the hiring of Filipino workers in Australia, Canada and other Western countries is still lower than before because of the crisis.

Hong Kong, one of the major markets for Filipino workers, also posted a drop in deployment because employers are now hiring Indonesians and other foreign workers willing to accept lower salaries, she added.

Banawis said the implementation of the amended Migrant Workers Act late this year has also adversely affected the processing and hiring of Filipino workers abroad.

“Some of the markets like South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have recovered from the financial crisis and are expected to hire more Filipinos in the coming year,” she said.

About half a million job orders from various countries abroad are yet to be filled and are available for Filipino workers in the coming year, Banawis said.

However, local recruiters warned of a further drop in hiring of Filipino workers overseas with many countries still to comply with the mandatory certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Recruitment leader Lito Soriano said thousands of workers would not be able to return to their worksites abroad if they fail to comply with the certification requirement.

The law states a country certified for OFW deployment should have existing labor and social laws protecting rights of workers, including migrant workers, he added.

It should be a signatory of bilateral or multilateral agreements relating to the protection of migrant workers, or it has taken “positive and concrete measures” to protect migrant workers, Soriano said. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)