Contrary to persistent negative reports linking the loss of job opportunities with the drop in oil prices in the Middle East, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) says its views is consistent with a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) that no drop in number of job orders for work abroad despite ongoing oil crisis in the Middle East.
POEA chief Hans Cacdac said in an interview with ABS-CBN News that the prospects even indicate increase in job orders for this year compared to the past two years.
“For February 2016, ang outlook pa nga ay baka mas mataas pa sa February 2014 and 2015, with respect to skilled workers, semi-skilled and non-household worker type of job orders,” Cacdac said of the fields that include engineering and medicine sectors.
He also added that demand for health workers appear to be immune to political or economic crisis saying that there will always demand for their services. He cited that countries that host overseas Filipino workers are trying their best to ease the impact of drop in oil, their primary commodity, by maintaining economic activities such as construction projects that usher investor confidence.
While being positive of the job prospects for Filipinos aiming to work abroad, the POEA chief admitted that there are Filipino workers suffering from the impact of plummeting oil prices such as those not receiving their wages on time.
The POLO has assisted workers in finding new jobs through the “Assist Well” program.
“Binabantayan natin ang sitwasyon. Di naman nating sinasabi na tuluyan nang naibsan ang sitwasyon… It’s beyond our control… Nakikita naman natin na nagsisipkap ang oil producing countries,” Cacdac added.