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MANILA: Overseas demand for Filipino workers appears to be strong, despite the global financial crisis. Officials say there are 400,000 jobs in various countries, waiting to be filled by Filipinos.
With remittances being a main driver of the country's economy, the Philippine government is also taking steps to make it easier for its nationals to find work abroad.
As early as six in the morning, tricycle driver Jesus Reyes left his province of Laguna just to be one of the first applicants at a government sponsored job fair.
He had not been able to pay his electricity bill and rent for the past three months, and finally decided to try his luck abroad.
He said: "My earnings can only pay for our daily needs, like rice, viand, and milk for my kid. We do not have any more left for other needs. Sometimes, it's not even enough for food."
Many Filipinos are aspiring to become overseas Filipino workers, just to be able to give their loved ones a brighter future.
Everyday, hundreds of Filipinos approach the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to look for jobs abroad. Despite the global financial crisis, the agency said they still continue to process about 3,000 overseas job placements daily.
The Department of Labor and Employment said there is still a balance of 400,000 job orders from employers abroad for workers from the Philippines.
That is why the government has been holding job fairs for aspiring overseas Filipino workers almost every week, to help them find employment abroad immediately.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said: "The biggest challenge that we are facing now is the lost of jobs. We are holding these job fairs to make sure that everyone is employed at these crucial times."
With as many as 10 million Filipinos working overseas, their remittances may be the much-needed stimulus for the country's economy. Last year, they sent home US$16 billion - a 13 per cent increase from 2007.
Despite the global economic crisis, the monthly salaries of overseas Filipino workers have doubled. Government data showed that salary rates of Filipino professionals and other skilled workers rose by as much as 50 per cent last year.
An administrator from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Jennifer Manalili, said: "Over the years, we have seen a significant increase in the salaries of our workers because we have shifted our focus to the highly-skilled and professional category of workers where they earn higher salaries.
"We are focusing our attention now to opening more opportunities for nurses, doctors and physical therapists."
Remittances make up more than 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product, and are considered to be the main driver in consumption spending.
- CNA/yt
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