In the face of the current global economic recession, the Philippines is determined to sustain one of its major sources of economic strength that has enabled the country for three decades to cushion the impact of unemployment and social problems – the dollar remittances of some 10 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Last year, OFWs sent home a record $16.4 billion in remittances, a major boost to the Philippine economy. With some 50,000 overseas Filipino workers projected to lose their jobs in 2009, the Philippine government is profoundly worried about the economic and social implications for the country of these workers going back home without employment. The Philippines is looking at countries in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia and those in the Gulf region, to maintain and continue the job contracts of Filipino workers. Hence, a drive for Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region, the biggest regional employers, to stay on their job, will be the focus of a two-day forum between 250 employers from the Middle East and Philippine recruiting agencies involved in the hiring of professional and skilled workers, and Philippine government officials and labor attaches serving the region. The forum, which is organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), will be held on April 12-13 in Dubai, UAE. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will attend the forum and deliver the keynote address. The ultimate aim of this forum is not only to sustain the employment of OFWs in the region, but also to convince employers to hire more Filipino workers. The biggest employers from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates have been invited to attend the forum, entitled “Employment and Business Opportunities: The Middle East Forum.” “The forum aims to renew cooperation and enhance the healthy and dynamic relationship among stakeholders of overseas employment, particularly the foreign employers in the Middle East and Philippine licensed recruitment agencies. It shall also be an occasion for President Arroyo to announce a package of incentives to facilitate the hiring of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs),” said Philippine Secretary of Labor Marianito D. Roque in his memorandum to labor attaches in the Gulf countries. The forthcoming forum is a move by the Philippine government to encourage employers in the Middle East, particularly in the six GCC countries, to keep their Filipino workers, selling their expertise and adaptability in the work environment, and to encourage them to hire more Filipinos in order to sustain the flow of much needed remittances. Roque expressed confidence that the forum will generate more job opportunities for OFWs, particularly in the Gulf region. The Minister of Labor of UAE, Saqr Ghobash, will deliver the welcome message to the stakeholders and delegates. The forum will be addressed by Salem Ali Al-Muhairi, Director General of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Ministers of Labor and Social Affairs in the GCC. He will present an overview on the outlook and prospects of the labor market in the region. The Philippine government, heavily reliant on the money sent home by overseas workers, has been promoting and encouraging for years the deployment abroad of Filipino workers, a policy direction that has kept the Philippine economy afloat through the billions of dollar remitted by OFWs. The exodus of Filipinos to work overseas is continuing. Last year 1.4 million Filipinos moved abroad for work, a daily deployment of close to 4,000 people, a situation which has created a brain drain in the Philippines. The government has formulated a $6.9 billion stimulus plan that will create almost one million jobs, including some 100,000 “green-collar jobs.” About $5.5 million was floated to be earmarked to a support fund for retrenched overseas workers. In addition, the Manila government will also impart skills training for in-demand jobs in other parts of the world.
