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Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - MANILA: The number of Filipinos moving to Saudi Arabia for employment more than doubled in 2023 and was the highest among Gulf Cooperation Council countries, data from the Department of Migrant Workers showed on Friday.
Out of nearly 1.8 million overseas Filipino workers in GCC states, more than half live and work in the Kingdom, which has for decades been their preferred overseas employment destination.
Over 380,000 Philippine nationals went to work in the Kingdom this year, according to the statistics collected between January and October. In 2022, the number was about 143,850.
In second place came the UAE, where more than 250,600 Filipinos sought employment in 2023, compared with nearly 166,200 last year.
The two Gulf countries were followed by Hong Kong and Singapore, which are also popular destinations for Philippine expats.
The total deployment of Filipinos overseas was this year much higher than in 2022, marking a recovery from the recent COVID-19 pandemic, while even more job opportunities were expected to open in 2024, DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac told reporters in Manila.
“It is clear that 2023 was the year when global economies began to open up, along with world trade, marking our transition into a post-pandemic era,” he said.
“We are looking at Saudi, for instance, the major development projects in line with their Vision 2030 … We are looking at UAE, for instance, which is also projecting their economic development plans.”
Saudi Arabia’s popularity is owing not only to the fact that it is an established labor market for Filipinos and that the governments of both countries enjoy good relations but also to the numerous projects underway and streamlined immigration procedures, according to Arnold Mamaclay, president of Philippine Employment Agencies and Associates for Corporate Employers in the Middle East.
“Saudi hires by volume, big volume, and they have only a few visa requirements. The Saudi Embassy will release your visa in one day,” he told Arab News.
Although under current policies, employers in the Kingdom need to prioritize Saudi nationals, there were still many jobs opened for non-Saudis, especially in the construction and hospitality sectors.
“With all the mega projects and giga projects, there are really a lot of opportunities, particularly for skilled workers,” Mamaclay said.
There was also an increase in demand for household assistants, which Lito Soriano, former head of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters, attributed to more and more Saudi women being professionally active.
“The economy in Saudi Arabia is fast expanding and their middle class is very big,” he said.
“Because as the middle class goes to work or are involved in small or medium-scale industries, the need for someone to help them in the household increases so much, especially now that the crown prince is encouraging the participation of women in economic development.”
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