Semi-skilled jobs in China not open to foreigners—DFA

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine officials in China warned prospective overseas Filipino workers against applying for semi-skilled jobs in China because these sectors remain restricted and closed to foreigners.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the warning came from the Philippine Embassy in Beijing and the Philippine Consulates General in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Unscrupulous individuals are offering Filipinos jobs as household service workers, teachers, or musicians in China, the DFA said as it noted an increasing number of cases of illegal recruitment of Filipinos there.

“The modus operandi of these illegal recruiters include promising jobs as household service workers (HSWs) in spite of the prohibition on foreign nationals working in the domestic service sector in China and recruiting through agents in Hong Kong and Macau,” it said.

Other modus operandi of illegal recruiters include facilitating travel of the recruited individuals to China using tourist visas and via another city in the region, posing as consultancy companies that offer “training seminar” in China for professional positions, and recruiting via Internet.

“[But] these ‘trainees’ end up being hired out illegally as HSWs,” the DFA said.

In the past months, the Embassy and the Consulates General have assisted and repatriated Filipino victims of illegal recruiters who were recruited for non-existing or illegal jobs, and who ended up staying in China with inappropriate documentation.

The Embassy, the Consulates General and the Office of the Police Liaison Attaché in Beijing continue to assist and repatriate Filipinos who find themselves in difficult situations as a result of their illegal recruitment.

“They also continue to coordinate with the local Chinese authorities on the arrest, investigation and prosecution of these illegal recruiters,” the DFA added.

The agency urged victims to report the activities of individuals and recruitment agencies who may be engaged in illegal recruitment to relevant authorities, including the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.