More than 200,000 new jobs are available in the face of the global economic crisis for the country’s expatriate workers this year in the Gulf Region.

This was announced during the first “Employment and Business Opportunities: The Middle East Forum” at the Renaissance Dubai Hotel here where the key players discussed, among others, how the Philippines can accelerate the filling up of this large share of job orders in the region within the year.

The President, upon hearing about the new employment opportunities awaiting expatriate workers, thanked the employers here for supporting the Philippine government in identifying employment and business opportunities amidst the global challenges.

“Thank you for your manifesto of support that will provide more than 200,000 new jobs aside from those already in the roster of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Maraming salamat sa inyo,” the President said.

The key players in the forum included employers, manpower providers, and officials of the Philippines and Gulf cooperating countries.

Among the big companies participating in the forum are Bechtel Company, Saudi Oger, Consolidated Contractors International Company, Mohmad Al-Mojil (MMG), Nesma, Al-Suweidi, AYTB, Atlantis Hotel under Kernzer International Management, and Daewoo Engineering and Construction.

Also joining the forum are associations of manpower agencies, namely, the Association for Professionalism of Overseas Employment (ASPROE), the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) and the Federated Association of Manpower Exporters (FAME).

The 200,141 new jobs in the Middle East in 2009 does not yet include substantial new work opportunities in Qatar.

These new Gulf region jobs are spread in the following countries: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), 107,525; Kuwait, 39,169; United Arab Emirates (UAE), 39,128; Libya and Algeria, 21,527; Oman, 11,356; and Bahrain, 3,446.

The new job orders include posts for professionals; administrative personnel; clerical workers; sales personnel; service workers in the hotel, restaurant, tourism and hospitality sectors; agricultural workers; and production process workers.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Libran Cabactulan said the demand for Filipino manpower in the region manifests the optimistic outlook in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf region which is known as the region of stability in the midst of the current financial crisis.

“The employers, employees and workers and the host and the labor- supplying countries like the Philippines, if we work together, we can contribute immensely to overcoming quickly this global economic slowdown,” Cabactulan said.

Some 250 participants joined in the two-day Middle East forum which seeks to assess employment and business opportunities in the countries in the Middle East as a major labor- receiving region.

The forum also seeks to identify issues and concerns; and to recommend measures to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders in both the sending and receiving countries to preserve existing jobs and generate more employment opportunities. (PIA-Pagadian)

Last update : 15-04-2009 11:26

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