The global financial crisis and recent debt scandal involving Dubai World has affected the number of skilled Filipino workers into Dubai this year.
Dubai airport may welcome fewer new Filipino workers into the emirate as economy has not recovered fully.
Photo credit: Nikonsnapper
The financial crisis played a role in the 1.4 per cent decline in hiring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates this year compared to 2008. This is not consistent with the general improvement in land-based deployment of OFWs, where only UAE and Taiwan recorded drops in hiring. Compared to the 1.4 % drop in Dubai deployment, Taiwan has recorded a sharp 22 per cent drop in OFW hiring. Overall, the Middle East remains top destination for OFWs.
Last month, Dubai suffered from a credit crisis but Philippine labor officials maintained that it was unlikely to affect the employment of over 200,000 Filipino workers there. But despite the confident stance made by labor leaders, a different picture was observed by the recruitment agency. Local recruiters projected a steady drop in the deployment of Filipino workers to Dubai in the coming year because of the prevailing credit crisis. Its officials said the country is unlikely to maintain the 70 percent growth in hiring of Filipino workers from 2007 to 2008 because of the crisis.
Data from the POEA also indicated a decline in the number of newly hired nurses and other professional workers in various countries abroad this year.
Except for service and agricultural workers, the rest of the occupational groups posted fewer number of newly hired workers.
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