POEA Clarifies Report on Job Orders : NursingCrib.com Updates

Posted: 07 Jan 2010 09:47 PM PST

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration clarified last Tuesday that the 13,360 job orders approved for the United States for the year 2009 includes not only nurses but also other medical health professionals such as pharmacists and physiotherapists, seasonal workers in hotels, golf courses and resorts, information and communication technology workers and related fields.

Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili cited that of the more than 13,000 job orders, only 876 representing 6.5% were filled up. The US which had been recruiting nurses under immigrant for employment visas (EB3) had been currently experiencing visa retrogression.

Manalili also said that the demand for construction workers reported in some newspapers earlier were not for the US Mainland market but for Guam's planned development starting 2010 of a modern and integrated military facility. Recruitment for Guam, however, is likely to take a longer time due to recent developments affecting the US and Japan on the issue of a replacement facility for the Futenma Marine base in Okinawa, Japan. The POEA also belied erroneous reports citing employment prospects in the oil and gas industries for the US.

Amidst this scenario, Manalili cautioned workers who have been pinning their hopes for Guam and the US to guard against the possibility of being victimized by illegal recruiters promising immediate departures for these destinations.

The POEA also stressed that it has not received any official request for approval of job orders for dog handlers for Dubai, nor a report on this employment prospect from the Philippine Embassy in the United Arab Emirates. "We will make formal announcements as soon as the job offers are confirmed", Manalili said.

The Middle East will remain to be the major labor market of OFWs in 2010, according to POEA. The financial crunch has minimally affected the economies in the Gulf States which have taken concrete steps to cushion the possible impact of the crisis, except for Dubai. Saudi Arabia, the primary destination of OFWs is embarking on its medium to long term socio-economic development plans until 2024. This includes the development of 12 mega industrial/economic cities across the kingdom.