An article on Yahoo News published last January 14, 2014 says that Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released a list of local jobs, that is according to them, lack “skilled workers” and instead plan to offer them to the foreigners. DOLE’s list includes architects, chemical engineers, chemists, geologists, licensed librarians, medical technologists, pilots, and aircraft mechanics. Article XII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution restricts entry of foreign professionals in the country but the government seems to be planning some kind of “brain gain”.
According to the report of National Statistics Office (NSO), as of October 2013, the unemployment rate of the Philippines is reduced to 6.5% from July 2013’s 7.3 %. Although it is 0.8% lower, it still accounts for almost 2.6 million Filipinos who are unemployed. Out of these 2.6 million unemployed persons, 21.4% were college graduates, 13.9% were college undergraduates, and 33.5% were high school graduates. (Taborda 2013)
Having this information, why would the government prioritized not its own constituents but rather those foreigners? Instead of giving those jobs to other people, why wouldn’t they give it to the 21.4% of the 2.6 million unemployed Filipinos who were actually college graduates? I don’t think that our country lacks skilled workers because we really aren’t. It just that the salary they offer to Filipinos isn’t enough to sustain our needs. And would you think foreign professionals would dare accept their offer compare to other country’s offer in the same profession? I don’t think so that the primary reason behind this plan is simply lack of professionals.
For me, DOLE fails to acknowledge our graduates who are struggling to find such jobs. I just hope that they will try look inside here first before turning their heads on other countries for the “skilled workers” they’re searching for is actually just waiting for those jobs.
References:
1. http://anc.yahoo.com/news/dole-mulls-opening-up-jobs-to-foreigners-amid--lack-of-skilled-workers--060451754.html
2. http://www.tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate
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