Number of Koreans, other foreigners working in RP surging

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday reported a surge in the number of Koreans and other foreigner coming to work in the country in the past few years.

Data from the DOLE’s Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) showed that the number of foreign nationals working in the country more than doubled from 2000 to 2009.

BLES noted that in 2009, DOLE issued a total of 12,218 Alien Employment Permits (AEP) to foreign workers here, from 5,576 AEPs issued in 2000.

According to labor officials, the growth in the issuance of AEPs reflected the demand for foreign labor to enable the local economy to cope with the technological advancements in the global market.

Based on the BLES data, the country had the highest number of foreign workers in 2007 at 13,592, although the figure slightly went down two years after.

Since 2000, labor officials said Japanese nationals dominated the market for foreign workers here, but Korean nationals started to outnumber them in 2007.

The number of Korean nationals working here has increased fourfold since 2000, labor officials also said.

One third of the foreign workers were employed in manufacturing industries located in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) and Central Visayas.

Most of the foreign workers here are holding administrative, executive and managerial positions, while a considerable number of them are employed as technicians and associates.

Labor officials stressed that the government allows private companies to engage the services of foreign nationals only upon determination that there are no competent Filipino workers willing to apply for the position sought by these foreign applicants.