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MANILA, Philippines -- The global demand for Filipino workers will remain strong despite fears of a recession in the United States, a labor official said Thursday.
Many foreign countries, particularly developed countries, are still approaching the Philippines wanting to recruit Filipino workers, particularly skilled laborers and professionals, said Rosalinda Baldoz, administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
"Foreign employers come to us because they are short of skilled workers and their nationals refuse to handle the dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs," Baldoz told local reporters.
Even in the United States, where there are fears of a looming recession, Baldoz said they see a growing demand for temporary workers in hotels as well as nurses.
Middle Eastern countries also need thousands of foreign workers due to heightened economic activity there, she added.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman will offer job opportunities in the construction, medical, retail, energy engineers and planners, telecommunications, hotel and restaurant and the information technology (IT) sectors, she said.
East Asia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia will continue to hire Filipinos for the construction and ship building sectors, factory workers, IT and healthcare, managers and supervisors for the gaming industry.
Nurses, architects, entertainers, engineers and draftsmen would also be in demand, she added.
Australia and New Zealand also have a strong demand for construction workers, health, IT professionals and skilled workers in trade, hotel, restaurants as well as teachers.
Last year, a total of 1.073 million Filipinos went overseas for work compared to 1.062 million who went abroad in 2006, Baldoz said.
The government is confident more than a million workers will go abroad this year as well.
There are about eight million Filipinos working overseas and their remittances back home are a major pillar, propping up the country's economy.
