OFWs from Libya still want jobs abroad

MANILA, Philippines - Only a few of the thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning from war-torn Libya intend to stay in the country for good.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said most of the 3,409 returning workers are shying away from local employment because they want high-paying jobs.

Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) director Anna Dominique Tutay said a majority of those who registered for a government-initiated job fair prefer overseas employment.

“Applicants still prefer overseas jobs which pay salaries four to five times higher than local jobs,” she said. “For those who have three or more years of work experience, they could not afford to accept lower income because they have been used to a higher standard of living while working abroad.”

A majority of the applicants looked for overseas jobs in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Uzbekistan, United Kingdom, Turkmenistan or Kuwait, she added.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the DOLE initiated the job fair to give the returning workers a chance to a make decision on where to work.

“The main point is that we make available to them the job vacancies, local and overseas, to shorten their job search,” she said.

Baldoz said 14 local companies with 5,601 vacancies and about the same number of overseas recruitment agencies offering 6,659 overseas jobs joined the job fair held the other day.