Good news once again as there will be more hiring of Filipino workers to work in Korea within the next ten months. The agreement has been passed between the two labor secretary of the two countries. This is a good news for Filipinos who wants to work in Korea. Korea is an industrial country and one of the most successful financially among the Asian countries. Its main products are electronics and one of the largest exporters of cargo ships and other naval vehicles. This Philippine job openings is for 5,000 OFWs to work in Korea. Full story below.

Despite being shaken by the global economic crunch, Korea will continue to hire Filipino workers.

This after Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque and his Korean counterpart, Minister Lee Younghee, signed on 30 May 2009 the Memorandum of Understanding on the Employment Permit System (EPS) which could send up to 5,000 OFWs to Korea within the next ten months.

Witnessed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, the two labor chiefs signed the MOU at the Blue House, venue of the bilateral meeting between Arroyo and Lee.

In a recent survey conducted by the Korea Labor Ministry, Filipinos ranked first in terms of ability to adopt to the Korean society and second in communication skills.

Under the new MOU, the minimum standards set by the Philippine government, such as free accommodation, are ensured thru the POEA’s authority to review contract offers of employers. It likewise minimizes pre-departure cancellation of employment contracts and pre-termination of existing ones by disqualifying employers as well as workers with derogatory records.

Filipino workers also will continue to enjoy pension coverage pursuant to the National Pension Law and shall be entitled to equal treatment with that of Korean workers, including minimum wage and insurance protection.

Aside from the MOU on EPS, the two labor chiefs signed an MOU on Labor and Manpower Development which provides, among others, for the training of workers on-site to better prepare them for their eventual return to the Philippines. There will be exchanges, too of trainers and experts and development of curricula to improve vocational education and training.

We have posted in this site that DOLE has been recruiting a lot of unemployed nurses and helping them land a job abroad. The fruit of this recruitment now comes to the stage of training these qualified nurses before letting them out into the world. NARS (Nurses Assigned in Rural Services) conducted the training of these qualified nurses and the full story can be read below.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said unemployed nurses who will be hired under the NARS (nurses assigned in rural service) program will be trained to perform public health functions and the necessary clinical tasks to enhance their employability in local hospitals and eventually in medical centers overseas.

Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the NARS program is a training-cum employment scheme wherein the hired nurse-trainees will be trained not only in providing basic health services to needy folks in rural areas but also in performing clinical functions under the guidance of participating hospitals and other medical facilities in areas where the nurse-trainees will be assigned.

Roque said the Department of Health (DOH) would identify the hospitals and other medical providers that would participate in the NARS program and at the same time formulate the program’s training module and related learning and development activities in close coordination with the Board of Nursing (BON) of the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

He added that the DOH would also closely supervise the training of the nurse-trainees whose competencies would later be assessed by the PRC-BON, thereby, ensuring that the trainees are equipped with the essential skills and knowledge for employment locally and eventually overseas.

Roque also specified that the NARS program is not a waste of taxpayer money saying that on the contrary, the program would serve the people in areas where medical services are mostly needed. He added that it would also serve as the nurse-trainee’s jump-off point for a full-time job in local hospitals where they can gain the necessary experience that would later qualify them for employment overseas.

The NARS program was launched by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the Multi-Sectoral Summit on “Joining Hands Against the Global Crisis” held recently in Malacanan Palace in line with the pump priming strategies aimed at mitigating the impact of the global financial crisis on Filipino workers.

The program aims to address the (1) glut in inexperienced nurses, (2) the proliferation of “volunteer nurses” working in hospitals without being paid, (3) promote health of the people, and (4) bring government services closer to the grassroots.

Nurses will be deployed at an average of five per town in the 1,000 poorest municipalities, for a six-months tour of duty. Completion of the training program under NARS program will be considered as a substitute for the work experience requirement of hospitals and other health facilities.

Roque said the nurse-trainees will be jointly issued the Certificate of Completion by the DOLE, DOH and PRC, adding that while on training, the nurses will be given a stipend/allowance of P8,000.00 per month.

The DOLE Chief, nonetheless, urged local governments to support the program by offering additional allowances to nurse-trainees assigned in their localities. He also appealed to corporations to chip in by providing shirts, insurance, vitamins, etc.

Unemployed registered nurses who are physically and mentally fit and willing to serve in their hometowns and who meet the following requirements may qualify for the training cum employment under NARS: a) with valid nurse license issued by the PRC b) not over 35 years old c) resident of the identified municipalities d) no nursing-related practice for 1-3 years.

Roque said qualified applicants may apply online at http//www.nars.dole.gov.ph, or at the nearest DOLE regional office from 23 February 2009 to 31 March 2009.

Nurse applicants who are children of workers affected by the global crisis will be given priority in the selection, he said.

souce: Information and Publication Service

It’s going to be a very merry christmas for jobless pinoys. As the president met with top CEO’s from Qatar to talk about future employment exclusively for Filipinos. This job openings will be open EXCLUSIVELY for Filipinos.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque revealed Saturday that the state of Qatar has reserved hundreds of thousands of working visas for Filipino workers for next year.

“Our counterpart, the labor minister of Qatar said he had reserved, approved [work] visas for Filipinos. A total of 121,924 new visas exclusively for Filipinos,” Roque told radio dzMM.

Roque said the Qatar labor minister showed him the reserved visas during President Arroyo’s visit last December 14.

Quoting the foreign labor minister, Roque said Qatar wants to double the number of Filipino visitor workers by 2009. There are at least 149,000 Filipinos currently working in Qatar, the labor secretary said.

“The labor minister of Qatar told me that he wants Filipino workers to be the second biggest population of guest workers in Qatar next year,” he said.

The labor secretary said among the companies that are planning to have an all-Filipino crew are Lulu Supermarket and a big bus company.

He said Bektel, one of the biggest companies in Qatar, is also planning to open jobs for Filipinos in 2009.

Roque said hundreds of other jobs may also open in Qatar, which is being developed as the “education center” of Middle East, which translates to thousands of construction job openings for Filipinos.

He said the Qatar government prefers Filipinos than other nationalities because they are hard-working and hygienic.

He added that Qatar employers mentioned to Mrs. Arroyo during her visit that Filipinos’ work are spotless and they are more peace-loving than other nationalities.

Meanwhile, Roque said his department has already started working with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the job placements and skills training qualifications for Filipinos who would want to work in Qatar.

Compiled by Trabaho Philippines

Souce: abs-cbn