More nurses, therapists needed in Saudi

 MANILA, Philippines - Basic salaries of around P44,000 or SA 4,080 await 500 nurses and 20 respiratory therapists to be hired by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia, the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA) in Cagayan de Oro announced on Tuesday.

Potential hires for staff nurses have to be female and licensed board passers with at least four years of experience working in a hospital, while respiratory technicians can either be male or female with at least two years of experience.

Those with related and even masters' degrees will be preferred, the POEA advisory said.

Over 200,000 nursing students graduate in the Philippines every year, hoping to meet demands of the international community, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

DOLE also recently encouraged nursing majors to shift to other concentration as nursing remains one of the most "over-subscribed" courses in the country, with graduates finding lesser job opportunities through the years.

“As the DOLE addresses current employment and jobs mismatch issues affecting our graduates, I encourage our nursing students, for example, to look at other courses as alternatives if they want to land a job in the local labor market,” she said.

POEA requested applicants for openings in Saudi Arabia to proceed to the Registry Division of the agency's building at the corner of Ortigas and EDSA.