17,000 jobs to be made available for OFWs displaced in Saudi

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople. INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Some 17,000 jobs are up for grabs for former Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia displaced due to the closure of several mega-construction companies in the Middle Eastern country, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Friday.

The special job fair will be held at the Starmall at the corner of Edsa and Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Over 11,000 overseas and 6,000 local job offerings will be made available.

DMW chief Toots Opel said  these special job fairs are for OFWs whose companies in Saudi Arabia declared bankruptcy as far back as 2015-2016.

“We want to bring the government closer to the people especially during these difficult times through the DMW’s job and reintegration fairs for displaced OFWs and their families,” Ople said in a statement.

The overseas job offerings will come from Middle Eastern countries Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE; European countries Croatia, Germany, Hungary; countries in the Asia Pacific (Brunei, China, Japan, Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand); Morocco and the Cayman Islands.

The job categories range from highly skilled and professional workers to low skilled work, according to DMW.

This opportunity comes as the government of Saudi Arabia pledged to shoulder the unpaid dues of said OFWs.

JPV