5,000 jobs waiting for Filipinos in Slovenia

MANILA, Philippines — Some 5,000 job opportunities are awaiting Filipino workers in Slovenia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported yesterday.

According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Slovenia was seeking Philippine approval for the deployment of some 2,000 to 5,000 skilled and semi-skilled labor to supplement their workforce. 

Similar opportunities for Filipino workers are also available in Russia and Canada.

Bello said representations were made by Slovenian officials recently but he informed them that they need to sign a bilateral agreement first. 

The jobs open to Filipinos include healthcare workers, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, heavy machine and equipment operators, household service and other industries.

The DOLE chief noted the salary in Slovenia is more competitive compared to the Middle East where qualified workers can expect a minimum wage of about $1,000.

“The salaries are definitely higher than that of the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia it is around $400. In Slovenia, we are looking probably at around P50,000 to P75,000, or about $1,000, as long as we can come up with a bilateral agreement and we both agree with the provisions and the template contract,” he added.

A technical working group will be formed to negotiate the terms of the agreement and ensure the protection and safety of the workers. This takes about three months.

Bello said the classes of jobs and the requirements will be finalized upon the completion of the bilateral agreement. English language proficiency, however, will be one of the qualifications for aspiring applicants.

He, however, reminded interested parties that acceptance of applications for Slovenia is yet to commence.

“We do not have job orders for Slovenia as of this moment, we are still working on it. We advise the public to wait for the formal announcement that we are starting to accept applications,” Bello added.