The Philippines is unlikely to reach the annual target deployment of at least one million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) due to drop in the hiring of housemaids, local media reported Monday.
At least 100,000 Filipino domestic helpers lost their jobs because of the new policy of the Philippine government that fixed to 400 U.S. dollars per month the minimum salary for maids, the Philippine Star reported, citing an official of the Philippine Federated Association of Manpower Exporters.
"The new markets that the Department of Labor and Employment is bragging about like Canada, Spain, and New Zealand will not make up for the loss of 100,000 jobs of domestic helpers," said Jackson Gan, an official of the association.
Gan said the hiring of OFWs in Taiwan also declined as a result of the Taiwanese authorities' protest over the controversial Philippine government policies, he added.
Quite a number of Middle East-bound Filipino workers were also unable to leave the country due to lack of airline flights including the ban on processing fees for OFWs and the alleged unfair treatment for Taiwanese investors in the Philippines.
Based on Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), there is still a shortfall of 200,000 in the average annual deployment target of one million workers.
From January to September, POEA recorded a total of 812,512 OFWs worldwide, which is 3.1 percent lower than last year's number of Filipino workers hired abroad.
The number of contracts processed in the first nine months of the year also declined by 7.9 percent compared with last year's record.
Labor officials, however, remained optimistic that at least one million OFWs will still be deployed by yearend as Filipinos continue to be in demand abroad.
Cherry Saunar, Jerpi Overseas president, said she has received hundreds of job orders for civil, industrial and mechanical engineers, construction foremen, steel fabricators, welders, electrical and plumbing specialists from a reputable Australian staffing agency during her recent visit to Australia.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article