Records from the POEA showed a five percent drop in the number of Filipino workers deployed in the first two months of the year compared with the same period a year ago.
POEA chief Rosalinda Baldoz said that as of March 2, a total of 184,413 overseas Filipino workers left for various countries, or 3,986 less than the 188,379 OFWs hired abroad in 2004.
Based on the POEA daily OFW deployment report, the number of hired land-based workers from January to February this year declined by 2.5 percent to 143,910 from the 2004 figure of 149,960.
While no specific reason was cited for the slump, the labor department expressed confidence that it is only temporary and OFW deployment would increase in the coming months.
Labor officials maintained that despite strong competition from other labor sending countries, foreign employers still prefer Filipino workers for their skills.
Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson also said the ongoing crackdown against illegal immigrant workers in countries like Malaysia and Japan would not affect the deployment of Filipinos. "Let it be clear that we are not in any way losing the Malaysia and Japan markets for Filipino workers, as they are even set to accept skilled and documented OFWs needed by their economies," Imson said. — Mayen Jaymalin