A SURGE in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is projected come 2023, mainly due to the reopening of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) market.
In a statement, recruitment analyst Emmanuel Geslani projected that tens of thousands of OFWs are likely to be deployed, beginning with those headed to Saudi Arabia.
“A surge in deployment by the first quarter of 2023 is expected as more than 30,000 OFWs are headed to Saudi Arabia after they have been deprived of their jobs since March and November 2021,” said Geslani.
He said that more than 20,000 construction workers are expected to be mobilized to KSA beginning the end of the year.
Geslani added that said 10,000 household service workers (HSWs) are also expected to be deployed to Saudi Arabia beginning November 7.
Last week, the Department of Migrant Workers announced that OFW deployment in Saudi Arabia is set to resume on November 7.
In addition, Geslani also said that Singapore is looking at hiring 10,000 OFWs.
“The POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) in Singapore has approved more than 10,000 job orders or various job categories, mostly skilled, unskilled, HSWs, and in the aviation industry,” said Geslani.
He also disclosed that Taiwan will need an additional 20,000 factory workers with the entry of more Chinese factories to Taiwan.
“Aside from factory workers, Taiwan also needs more caretakers for their aging population,” Geslani said.
Last week, Geslani noted that the country is still unable to reach pre-pandemic levels in OFW deployment, with merely 650,000 OFWs being deployed this year so far.
