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MANILA, Philippines -- A thousand more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have lost their jobs in export-dependent industrial companies of Taiwan, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) said.
At the same time, a recruiters’ group said the Philippines has lost 20,000 potential caretaker jobs for Taiwan next year due to the omnibus household service workers rules imposed in 2006.
In a statement e-mailed to media outfits, APMM area coordinator Gi Estrada said their affiliate organization, Migrante-Taiwan, expects more layoffs, especially in the industrial areas of Taichung and Kaohsiung, as the recession in the United States and Europe deepens and widens.
Migrante-Taiwan reported that 1,083 OFWs were laid off in the following firms: 261 from Garmin in Taipei; 46 from Kingtech in Hsinchu; 44 from Syntech in Tainan; six in Meiser in Hsinchu; 173 from Hanstar in Kaohsiung; 93 in three factories of Coretronics in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung; 87 from Optimax; 27 from Monterey; 120 from Promos; 11 from Acme; 8 from Chroma; 6 from Hometec; 11 from Gigasolution; 120 from ASE in Kaohsiung; 65 from ASE in Chungli; and five from Halsen in Taipei.
Earlier, the church-based Hope Workers Center in Taiwan said 781 OFWs have already lost their jobs in the Taoyuan district.
Migrante-Taiwan also said manufacturers in the Nantzu Export Processing Zone in Kaohsiung want to lay off 10 percent of their work force.
"Most OFWs had to shoulder their own airfare back home as the companies allegedly promised to rehire them again some day," Estrada said.
On the other hand, Jackson Gan, president of Pilipino Manpower Agencies Accredited to Taiwan (Pilmat), said the omnibus household service workers rules discouraged Taiwan recruitment agencies from getting Filipino caretakers for their aging population.
Gan said the 20,000 caretaker quota was allocated by the Taiwan Ministry of Labor for 2009, partly to offset the layoffs of Filipino factory workers due to the financial crisis that has hit Taiwan's export industries.
He said Filipino caregivers are widely accepted in Taiwan, which hired the most number of Filipino caregivers last year. Caregivers comprise 30,000 of the current 90,000 Filipinos now working in the island-nation.
Gan thus asked the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to review the rules on household service workers, particularly the provision that prohibits the collection of placement fees.
He pointed out that the collection of placement fees is allowed under the Special Hiring Rules for Taiwan signed in 2001 by the POEA. The fee, amounting to two months' worth of salary, goes to Taiwanese job brokers.
