MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) warned the government yesterday that the hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is likely to decline in the coming months due to the continuing political unrest in the Middle East and Libya.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said they expect fewer Filipino workers to be deployed in the second quarter of the year because of ongoing crises in the Middle East and Libya.
“We don’t see an immediate solution to the Middle East crisis and because of this foreign employers are expected to hold back on hiring workers for a while,” Baldoz disclosed.
Although the political turmoil in Libya and other Middle East countries started early this year, Baldoz said, the country is yet to feel its negative impact until this time.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) posted a significant increase in the deployment of OFWs to various countries in the first quarter of the year.
POEA administrator Carlos Cao Jr. said the agency recorded the deployment of 406,921 OFWs last January, higher than 389,942 workers deployed during the same period last year.
But based on POEA records the deployment appeared to be on the downtrend with a total of 130,000 deployment in February and 85,000 in March.
Cao said that the deployment of OFWs remained at a high level despite the Middle East crisis.
“We are very hopeful because even with the crisis, our deployment in the first quarter is still in good standing,” Cao said while adding that foreign employers continue to express their preference for Filipino workers.
Cao said several groups of employers from Qatar, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom met with POEA officials recently to express their intention to recruit more OFWs in the coming months.
“Hong Kong is a new market destination, where we can deploy our workers who were displaced in Libya,” Cao said. –Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
June 2025
Philippine Environment Month!
“Action for Nature, for the Future!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
1 Jun – World Day of Parents
5 Jun – World Environment Day
7 Jun – World Food Safety Day
8 Jun – World Oceans Day
12 Jun – World Day Against Child Labour
15 Jun – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
16 Jun – International Day of Family Remittances
17 Jun – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
20 Jun – World Refugee Day
25 Jun – Day of the Seafarer
27 Jun – Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
Daily Observances:
June 6: Migrant Workers Day
June 19: Filipino Youth Day
June 25: Day of the Filipino Seafarer
