Demand for OFWs increasing, says POEA

FILE PHOTO: In this June 2, 2020, photo, repatriated OFWs arrive at the NAIA Terminal 2 to board their flights as the NAIA resumes operations starting Monday, June 1, 2020, under the General Community Quarantine. INQUIRER / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — The demand for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is increasing, an official of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said Saturday.

POEA Deputy Administrator Bong Ventura Plan said there is high demand for OFWs, particularly healthcare workers.

“Actually, dumadami na po ang mga (there is an increase in the number of) demands [or] request coming from the different countries of destination,” Plan said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“For example, iyong UK (United Kingdom), marami na rin po silang demand sa atin pagdating sa mga healthcare workers natin particularly iyong mga nurses and caregivers. This is the same with Germany and Japan,” he continued.

(For example, in the UK, there is a demand for us when it comes to our healthcare workers, particularly nurses and caregivers.)

Despite the high demand, Plan said that the government has to consider the country’s needs, citing that there is a deployment cap of 7,000 health workers yearly.

“Kaya iyon, marami pong demands kaso nga lang po (So, there is a high demand but), we have to consider also our personal demands here in the Philippines also kaya medyo mayroon pa tayong kaunting (that is why there is a limited) deployment,” he explained.

“Up to 7,000 lang po ang puwede po nating i-deploy na healthcare workers kaya medyo limitado pa rin po pagdating sa mga nurses and healthcare workers,” added Plan.

(Up to 7,000 healthcare workers could only be deployed. So, there is a limit in sending nurses and healthcare workers.)

He, however, said that when it comes to jobs abroad in the logistics sector there are available slots for application.

“Pero pagdating po sa mga truck drivers, pagdating po sa mga seafarers open po tayo. At basically based on our data and our projected data, mas dadami po ang demands natin pagdating po dito sa logistics area po natin,” Plan said.

(But when it comes to truck drivers, seafarers, we are open. And basically based on our data and our projected data, the demands in the logistics area will grow.)

/MUF