Philippine Overseas Employment Administration

HOME

Market Update, 2004

MU #1 - Employment Opportunities in the United Arab Emirates

          With the construction of the Dubai Mall, the recruitment binge of the Abu Dhabi University, and the establishment of several hospitals in the Northern Emirates, Filipino migrant workers have something to look forward to.

          According to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Abu Dhabi, the contractors and sub-contractors of the Dubai Mall Project are keen on hiring Filipino engineers and finishing carpenters. On the other hand, the Abu Dhabi University plans to recruit Filipino assistant librarians, administrative staff, and cafeteria service crew. The Emirati Ministry of Health, for its part, is setting up five first-rate hospitals worth about Dhs 300 million – a project that the POLO believes will subsequently open a window of opportunity for Filipino medical personnel.

          Employment prospects for skilled Filipino migrant workers, however, are expected to arise not only in the UAE but also in the entire Middle East. According to the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, there is a compelling need for the UAE and its neighboring Arab countries to invest massively in infrastructure development and private investment is necessary in order to meet the increasing demands of a burgeoning population. Aggregate cost of investment required in the Middle East for infrastructure alone ranges between US$300 billion and US$400 billion and this is likely to entail substantial manpower requirements. With respect to the UAE, the Emirati government has already forged partnerships with the private sector to fund projects in the utilities sector, i.e. power and water.

Source: POLO – Abu Dhabi

          11 February 2004

MU #2 - UAE AND OTHER MEMBER-STATES OF THE GCC TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ

        The United States has invited the United Arab Emirates and other members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation (GCC) to participate in the reconstruction of post-war Iraq.

         American officials recently met with local businessmen in the United Arab Emirates during talks organized by the Abu Dhabi-based American Business Group (ABG) to explain emerging sub-contracting opportunities in Iraq, which are estimated to reach a little over US$18 billion. In a related development, members of the UAE Chamber of Commerce would be reportedly meeting, in turn, with Iraqi officials to discuss possible partnerships with participating companies to avail of subcontracts in the Iraq Reconstruction Program.

Source:         POLO, UAE

                   February 2004

MU #3 - CONTRACTORS EYE LUCRATIVE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS INVOLVING IRAQ

        Under the US-sponsored Reconstruction Program for Iraq, more than US$18 billion will be spent over 10 years to put Iraq’s economy back on its feet. This has sparked immense international interest in the reconstruction projects for which the US government will issue invitations to bid.

        One contactor that is eyeing projects for Iraq is Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company, Korea’s largest contractor, which has expressed optimism about its to bid to renovate and repair aging water facilities in Iraq, particularly the 1,200-MW power plant located south of Baghdad and the   400-KV Korean-built transformer that it built after the 191 Gulf War. If negotiations succeed, Hyundai will be awarded reconstruction contracts worth US$300-400 million by the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. This would mark the first time a Korean contractor will be involved in a reconstruction project led by the Iraqi government.

        In a bold move meant to enable it to pull ahead of the pack of competitors in the race for lucrative contracting opportunities, Hyundai has reportedly started wooing primary US contractors, Bechtel Construction Incorporated and Kellog Brown & Root for possible sub-contracting projects. Bechtel is the primary contractor for social infrastructure while Kellog Brown & Root is the lead contractor for energy production facilities.

Source:    The Korea Herald

               February 2004

MU #4 - IRELAND GRANTS AUTOMATIC WORK PERMITS FOR SPOUSES OF NON-EU NATIONALS

        Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Harney announced last 18 February 2004 that spouses of skilled non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals will have an easier access to employment as soon as practical arrangements have been put in place. The new arrangement has been reached in light of concerns at Ireland’s continued capacity to attract and retain highly skilled personnel where their spouses do not have the automatic right to work.

        At present, spouses usually arrive with spouses visa that does not allow them to work, although they can be granted work permits once they find a job. This may have a negative impact on Ireland’s healthcare and private industry where foreign workers opt to leave for other countries like UK where spouses are allowed to work. With the new arrangement, spouses will be permitted to work in job categories previously restricted to them, like the broad retail sector and child-minding in private homes.

        There are currently an estimated 9,000 highly skilled workers (e.g. nurses and other medical professionals, construction professionals and IT specialists) who were recruited overseas under the work visa/work authorization scheme which started on June 2000. This is an alternative fast track scheme to the work permit regime to fill the manpower needs in sectors experiencing skills shortages.

The new scheme may come into effect the following month and will be limited to spouses of non-EU nationals with work visas or authorizations, spouses of intra-company transferees and spouses of academics and researchers. About 5,000 Filipino nurses, comprising 98% of non-EEA nurses working in Irish hospitals, whose spouses do not have automatic work permits, are expected to benefit from the new scheme.

SOURCE:       PHILIPPINE EMBASSY – LONDON

                   March 10, 2004

MU #5 - SINGAPORE RELAXES RULE ON FOREIGN WORKERS, INTRODUCES   S-PASS SYSTEM

          The policy on foreign workers in Singapore will be relaxed soon. Singapore’s Acting Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen made this announcement during the inauguration ceremony for the building of two new hangars by SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC).   According to Minister Ng Eng Hen, this change in rules will allow companies in sectors short of skilled staff, such as those in health-care, information technology, and bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing, to hire the necessary manpower they need. He also allayed fears of Singaporeans losing their jobs to foreign workers by reiterating that the government remained committed to train them to acquire the skills needed for these jobs. He also explained that companies should get the skilled workers they need in order for these companies to grow and for Singapore to achieve the targeted annual growth rate of 3 to 5%.

Currently, Singapore’s policy restricts the number of work permit holders that a company can hire, but has no cap on the number of employment pass holders. The policy, thus, has two aspects:

·         Work permits for unskilled and semi-skilled workers who earn S$2,500 or less a month, such as cleaners and construction workers; and

·         Employment passes for those with skills and earn over S$2,500 monthly, such as engineers and managers.

        In a related development, the Singapore government will be introducing the new “S-Pass” system, effective 01 July 2004. This system is meant for foreign workers who do not meet the criteria for a full employment pass and yet, are overqualified for an R-Pass, Singapore’s work permit for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. In order to qualify for an S-Pass, applicants must be earning a minimum monthly basic salary of S$1,800. Possession of a diploma on technical qualification and/or work experience, skills and job-type are also considered.

        These positive developments present a continuous prospect for employment of Filipino medical workers and other skilled personnel in that island- state.

Source: POLO Report

March 2004

MU #6 - Singapore introduces new regulation to track migrant workers

The Singaporean government has recently introduced a new regulation requiring all employers of migrant workers (both new work permit holders or existing work permit holders) to register the updated residential addresses of their migrant workers and report any subsequent changes thereto to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). With this regulation in place, the MOM will be able to undertake quick and better tracking of migrant workers especially in times of crises.

          All employers of migrant workers who are new work permit holders have been required to comply with this new regulation since 01 May 2004. They are to submit the updated addresses of their migrant workers within five (5) days after the start of the employment thereof.

          On the other hand, all employers of migrant workers who are existing work permit holders have until 15 May 2004 to comply.

          Employers who fail to comply will have their existing work permit applications withdrawn or their subsequent applications rejected by the MOM. Registration of false addresses by the employers will be meted out a fine not exceeding S$5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months, if convicted under the Employment of Foreign Workers Act.

Source: POLO Report

            MRSD, Marketing Branch

            06 April 2004

MU #7 - SAUDI GOVERNMENT BANS ISSUANCE OF WORK VISAS FOR SALES JOB CATEGORIES

         As part of its campaign to reduce its reliance on expatriate labor, the Saudi government has recently imposed a total ban on the issuance of work visas for the sales job categories. Consequently, migrant workers employed in gold shops, fashion and ready-made garments, toyshops, cosmetics and perfume shops, and even travel agencies will increasingly have to give way to Saudi nationals. Notwithstanding the ban, the deployment of Filipino migrant workers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is expected to remain unaffected in view of the fact that virtually all of the workers we deploy thereat belong to the construction and medical sectors.

Source:      DFA/POLO Report

                April 05, 2004

MU #8    - OFFER   OF   ON-LINE APPOINTMENTS   IN NIGERIA

           The Nigerian Embassy in Manila recently reported on the illegal activities of fraudulent   agencies operating in Nigeria offering on-line appointments to foreign nationals, including Filipinos. The fraudsters who reportedly masquerade as recruitment agents recruiting engineers, doctors, pilots, technicians among others,   require applicants to pay in advance the recruitment fees and visa processing charges amounting to thousands of dollars. After payment is made, the fraudsters stop further contact with their victims and line up another set of prospective victims to be defrauded.

            Filipinos who may be offered such appointments with the salary scale of $25,000 to $65,000 per month in Nigeria are therefore cautioned about this modus operandi and are further advised to first verify the authenticity of the employment offer with the Nigerian Embassy before taking further actions.

Source: Nigerian Embassy

               June 2004

MU #9 - Opportunities in Singapore for Filipino IT and           Healthcare Professionals

Two recent developments in Singapore present bright employment prospects for Filipino IT and healthcare professionals.

The first major development involves the recent decision of Singapore to pursue a policy of actively supporting the growth of high-potential areas in its own information communication (infocomm) industry in view of the choice of Singapore by multinational corporations (such as Philipps) as the base of their regional outsourcing operations. The second involves the recently-enunciated goal of Singapore to become a premier regional healthcare hub that can attract a million foreign patients by 2012 and boost the economy with a projected $3 billion income and create 3,000 jobs. Towards both ends, Singapore, with its small population, will have to recruit foreign talents, opening windows of opportunity not only for Filipino IT professionals, who are the main global infocomm service providers next to the Indians, but also for Filipino healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, on whom Singapore has traditionally depended.

            Singapore is now exploring the possibility of adopting the package of incentives offered by the US, UK, and Canada, particularly the family reunification incentive. This move aims to keep the foreign nurses from resigning from their jobs, which could work against its efforts to transform the city-state into a regional healthcare provider.

Source: POLO Singapore, 2004

MU #9 - REPORTED SHORTAGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS IN UK

The Philippine Embassy in London recently met with the Employers Organization in the United Kingdom (UK), an advisory agency for UK local government on issues related to the pay and work conditions of social workers, occupational therapists, care staff and home carers in the UK.

According to the Embassy, above 20% of local government employers reported the highest incidence of recruitment and retention difficulties for social workers, occupational therapists, and home care staff. The high turnover of social workers and occupational therapists could be ascribed to the nature of work and competition from other employers, while the fast turnover of home care staff is attributed to low pay and competition from the wider economy.

Only “social workers” and “occupational therapists” are classified by the Work Permits, UK, as “shortage occupations” which can be sourced internationally.

The average annual salary in London for social workers for children ranges from a minimum of £22,476 to a maximum of £29,737 while that of a social worker for adults ranges from £22,166 to £28,700. The average annual salary in London for occupational therapists ranges from a minimum of £23,530 to a maximum of £27,837.

            In areas outside London, social workers for children have an average annual salary ranging from £16,993 to £26,667 while social workers for adults have a minimum of £16,054 and a maximum of £26,515. Occupational therapists outside London have an average annual salary ranging from £16,621 to £26,385.

SOURCE:         PhilEmb-London, 05 July 2004

BACK TO TOP