Foreigners hiring OFWs to get perks

In an apparent bid to fulfill its promise to generate at least one million overseas jobs each year, the government is now offering new incentives to foreign employers who hire Filipino workers.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the Philippine government is also implementing a new program to lower transaction costs for foreign employers.

Sto. Tomas said that under the Department of Labor and Employment’s Labor Opportunities Program (DOLOP), foreign employers are encouraged to fly in and personally search for highly skilled Filipino workers in a one-stop shop in Pasay City.

"Among the main attractions of the DOLOP for foreign employers are reduced transaction costs and exposure to the work attitudes, knowledge and quality of professional and technical training of Filipino workers," she said.

Sto. Tomas added that by availing themselves of the program, foreign employers reduce the risk of spending money hiring workers who later turn out to be unqualified for positions.

"Foreign employers often pay for the plane fares of workers but there are times that they are forced to send them home because the worker misunderstood the contract’s terms or due to a mismatch with the work, but this problem can now be lessened under the new campaign," she said.

Another part of the government’s campaign, according to Sto. Tomas, is that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and licensed recruitment agencies will now thoroughly screen applicants for overseas employment.

She said the program would benefit not only the foreign employers, but Filipino job seekers as well because recruitment agencies are mandated to ensure that contracts comply with the terms and conditions acceptable to the POEA.

"Filipino job seekers would have access to wider and more credible information and can even compare verified employment packages before deciding which jobs to accept," Sto. Tomas said.

She expressed confidence that with the new program, the Philippines will keep its lead over other countries that also export their labor force, and enable the government to meet its target of deploying at least one million Filipino workers abroad each year.

Meanwhile, labor officials warned Filipino workers aspiring to work in the sultanate of Brunei about the risks of going there without the necessary documents to obtain legitimate employment since the Brunei government is now mounting raids to weed out illegal migrants.

Sto. Tomas called on overseas Filipino workers to obtain the proper documents and deal only with legitimate recruitment agencies to avoid penalties and other consequences of illegal employment.

About eight million Filipinos work overseas.