Pandemic closes 81 recruitment agencies

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 81 recruitment agencies have closed down since the COVID-19 pandemic, mostly those offering land-based jobs, according to Bernard Olalia, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

But Olalia said the demand for Filipino workers abroad, especially health-care and factory workers, had started to pick up.

Olalia said 13 main offices of recruitment agencies and 68 branches had given notices of their temporary closure. —Leila B. Salaverria