European Union (EU) Ambassador Guy Ledoux said there are two million jobs available for migrants, including overseas Filino workers (OFW), amid record-high unemployment and fragile economies in Europe.
“Even as we fight unemployment there are around two million job vacancies across the EU in the fields of health, ICT, engineering, sales, and finance,” Ledoux said during a workshop on migration policies at the Asian Institute of Management on Monday.
“While emigration is not the only answer to fill skill gaps, it is certainly part of a common solution supportive of the EU’s economic growth strategy,” Ledoux explained, citing the European region’s aging population and shrinking workforce for the need to hire migrants.
Hans Leo Cacdac, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), told GMA News Online on Wednesday, “The demand for OFWs is clear. The challenge is to translate demand into access and action. Private sector stakeholders and/or government offices in the Philippines and EU, at bilateral or multilateral levels, need to commit labor market potential into fruition.”
However, he warned aspiring OFWs who would seek jobs in EU to be wary of malicious agencies and individuals.
“Job seekers are reminded to always deal with POEA-licensed recruiters that have POEA-registered foreign employers,” Cacdac said.
21M migrant workers in EU
Meanwhile, Ledoux also said migration is key to the European region’s success as “it is quickly becoming an economic and societal necessity.”
He noted the role that migration played in pushing their economy to become one of the world’s largest, with the help of the 21 million migrants from developing countries.
He also highlighted the EU-funded 2.8 Million Euro joint project of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas launched on Monday.
Entitled “Advancing Regional Cooperation on International Migration among Southeast Asian countries,” the project aims to ease the migration process among Asian neighbors.
Ledoux cited EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom’s statement on a recent OECD report on international migration trends.
“Demographic changes and skills shortages in certain sectors are a reality. The question is not whether we need migrants but how to make the most of migration,” Malmstrom said.
“We of course need to make sure of the skills and talents we already have in Europe, but at the same time, in order to ensure our future prosperity and economic growth, we need to establish a demand driven labour immigration policy,” she added. — VVP, GMA News, Andrei Medina, GMA News
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
“Safety and health at work every day!”
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!
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Monthly Observances:
March – Women’s Role in History Month
April – Month of Planet Earth
Weekly Observances:
Last Week of March: Protection and Gender Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week
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Daily Observances:
Mar 25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transallantic Slave Trade
Mar 27– Earth Hour
Apr 21 – Civil Service Day
Apr 22 – World Earth Day
Apr 28 – World Day for Safety and Health at Work
