Pinoy workers need skills, experience to survive AEC

CEBU, Philippines – Filipino professionals should have good skills and years of experience so they can practice their professions in other Southeast Asian countries.

Liberalized transfer of skilled labor is one of the core elements of the ASEAN Economic Community which seeks to integrate ASEAN economies.

Ezequiel Sarcauga, director of the Department of Labor and Employment-7, noted right skills and preparation are two important things to consider by professionals who are considering to work in other nations.

“You have to be prepared and you should have enough experience so it would become easy for you to cross in the ASEAN,” he advised.

The Professional Regulation Commission has already signed mutual recognition agreements with some of its ASEAN counterparts to allow Filipino professionals to do their professions in other SA nations.

Sarcauga said that among the professions prioritized in the MRAs are medicine, engineering, nursing, dentistry, accounting, among several others.

The labor official pointed out the possible migration of some excellent Filipino workers is not a big problem. Free flow of skilled labor, he said, is actually an opportunity for the country to be more competitive.

He, however, advised companies to prepare and be competitive so they are not going to lose their good workers who might be considering careers within the ASEAN region.

In addition, a recent study by the International Labor Organization and Asian Development Bank revealed that the economic integration could generate an estimated 3.1 million jobs for the Philippine labor market.