300,000 jobs eyed in Saudi

MANILA, Philippines – Over 300,000 skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are expected to be hired by Saudi Arabia this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said yesterday.

Acting Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said the number of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia is projected to reach 1.8 million by yearend.

“By April, we expect the number of OFWs in Saudi to reach 1.5 million and to as high as 1.8 million by the end of the year,” Roque said in an interview.

Roque said Saudi Arabia is projected to hire more foreign workers, particularly Filipino workers in the next five years as it starts the construction of four super cities.

Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producing country in the world, will construct four super cities and this is expected to spur urban growth and require additional construction workers, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Roque dismissed reports that over 10,000 Filipino workers aspiring to work in Saudi Arabia failed to leave the country due to suspended operations of about 50 local recruitment agencies.

Roque said that contrary to reports, only 28 applications for renewal of licenses are pending before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“Of the 50 agencies that were allegedly awaiting renewal, 22 have already been approved while 28 are now pending review,” Roque said.

Roque added that those agencies undergoing review only deploy 50 workers monthly.

“Based on our investigation, only 500 workers are still awaiting deployment,” he said.

Earlier, the local recruitment industry claimed that 50 agencies with pending applications for renewal of licenses were unable to deploy 10,000 workers.

According to the recruitment official, the non-renewal of licenses could result to crisis in deployment if not addressed immediately.

But Roque said there is no truth to the claim of the recruitment industry.