OFW deployment up in H1 - POEA

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the prevailing economic crises in various countries, foreign employers still prefer the services of Filipino workers.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) yesterday reported a continuing rise in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

POEA deputy administrator Ameurfina Reyes said overseas deployment is up by 1.3 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year.

“From January to June we have recorded a total deployment of 891,460 which is higher than the 879,960 number of OFWs deployed a year ago,” Reyes said.

Reyes noted that land-based workers accounted for the greater bulk or 79 percent of the total deployment for the first semester of 2012.

“Re-hires also got the larger share of the deployment with 55 percent, while new hires only accounted for 25 percent of the figure,” she said.

Saudi Arabia, Reyes said, remained as the leading destination of OFWs despite the “Saudization” program in the Kingdom.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the slowdown in the hiring of Filipino household service workers has not affected the deployment of OFWs in the Kingdom.

Since March last year, the Philippine government suspended the deployment of newly hired household helpers to Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom did not allow government officials to conduct mandatory verification of the employment contract.

Baldoz said negotiations are ongoing between the Philippine and Saudi governments on whether or not to resume deployment of newly hired Filipino household workers.

She noted that negotiations are also ongoing for the possible forging of bilateral agreement with countries where the Philippine government has imposed a deployment ban.

“We have already forged a bilateral agreement with Lebanon and at this time we are just awaiting the approval of the standard employment contract for the hiring of household service workers,” Baldoz said.

Labor officials expect the new bilateral agreement to pave the way for the lifting of the deployment ban.

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday assured workers that more jobs and better services await them next year following an expected increase in the agency’s budget.

Baldoz said the DOLE expects to get almost a billion in additional budget for 2013 after the House of Representatives unanimously approved the allocation of P8.083 billion for the department.

“The Lower House approved over P8-billion budget which is 11.9 percent higher than the allocation of P7.225 billion for this year,” she said.

“Now we have plenty of hard work to do,” she said as she thanked the House leadership for trusting that DOLE would be able to deliver quality results with the 2013 budget.