Lack of incentives, low wages blamed for entry of foreign workers

MANILA, Philippines - Low salary, lack of incentives for skilled workers and rising cost of living in the country are the main factors that drive away Filipino workers to other countries, leaving vacant positions that are now being offered by the government to foreigners, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said Thursday.

"With a measly P466 a day minimum wage in Metro Manila, the highest in the country, which is not even half of the government prescribed minimum of P1,200 a day for a family of six to survive, many Filipinos will still gamble their fate abroad leaving more vacancy here," TUCP-Associated Labor Unions executive vice president Gerard Seno said.

Seno said the TUCP estimates the real value of the current highest minimum wage is P362, 11 percent of which goes to paying the high cost of electricity alone.

The lowest minimum wage in the country is in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with P232, he added.

"Other contributing factors that feed the trend are lack of access of unemployed to job opportunities, particularly newly graduates, an outdated training modules and standard offered by the academe, vocational schools and other training institutions, and oversubscription of a few courses. With these factors alive and present, we cannot totally close our doors to foreign skills," Seno said.

Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment said the country is opening skilled jobs to foreign workers due to a dearth of counterpart skills among Filipinos.

Based on the latest Labor Force Survey of the government, the Filipino work force has a population of 41.178 million and 3.3 million of which are unemployed while 10.9 million are underemployed or people who are working but looking for another work to augment their insufficient income.

Foreigners who are interested to work in the country must secure an Alien Employment Permit from the Professional Regulatory Commission and the DoLE.

The DoLE identified the skills that might be soon available to foreigners as architect, chemical engineer, chemist, environmental planner, fisheries technologist, geologist, guidance counsellor, librarian, medical technologist, sanitary engineer, computer numerical control machinist, assembly technician, test technician, pilot, and aircraft mechanic.