DOLE aiming for ‘brain gain’

Amid the continuing exodus of Filipino workers, the government is now working to turn the country’s booming overseas deployment into a source of "brain gain."

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said he has sought the help of large companies in the country to help returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) become "assets of development."

"During this discussion, I broached the importance of having businessmen who can take care of our OFWs, particularly those skilled in science, economics, business and other disciplines, on their return to the Philippines," he said.

Brion noted that in their recent meeting, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) emphasized the possibility of brain gain for the Philippines.

"The IOM, which considers the Philippines’ global migration management system as a model for the world, believes that migrants who have developed and improved their skills abroad can be catalysts of brain gain by transferring and infusing knowledge, skills and technology into their countries of origin," he said.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Planning Office director Vivian Tornea earlier reported that the skills and knowledge gained by OFWs during their employment abroad have remained untapped.

"The gains from overseas employment that have been untapped are the knowledge and skills gained as well as the substantial remittances that have not been maximized to the fullest," she said.

According to Tornea, the country’s inability to tap the "brain gain" is partly due to the absence of monitoring skills and a registration mechanism.

She said the government is currently working on a reintegration program that covers the entire phase of OFWs’ employment before, during and upon their return.

"OWWA is now undertaking a program that encourages returning OFWs to put up their own business and hopefully we could come up with an improved and workable package in the future with the help of our private partners," Tornea said.

The Department of Labor and Employment is also trying to set up a database on the skills of returning OFWs.

Meanwhile, Brion said Taiwan is helping the Philippines make "brain gain" a reality by initiating a databank of OFW returnees.

"They are helping us set up a database of workers who have worked for six years in Taiwan for potential engagement by Taiwanese job-friendly investors in the Clark and Subic special economic zones in the Philippines," he said.