The Philippines and Qatar has signed a new recruitment protocol for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that would improve the two countries’ relationship in terms of labor force.

Philippines Labor Undersecretary and Philippines Ambassador Isaias Begonia said that the new recruitment protocol will give assurance that there will be continuous deployment of OFWs in Qatar.

“The signing of the protocol is to re-assure the Qatari government that the Philippines will continue to supply highly-skilled labor needed in the fast-growing economy here and it is also to demonstrate our government’s commitment to the labor agreement signed in 1997.”

He also added that there are lots of Filipinos, professional or skilled workers, who are highly in-demand in Qatar. This includes engineers, architects, pipe-layers, masons, interior designers, computer-assisted design (cad) and computer and information technology-related professionals.

There is no exact number of Filipino workers needed in Qatar but they assure that all the necessary measures vital for the recruitment process and fast deployment has been done.

The ambassador also said that the Philippine government assures that workers to be deployed in the country must have the adequate protection against exploitation. Applicants will also undergo with initial screening to ensure that they possess the required skills for the work. 

The agreement also set the policy guidelines and standards on the fee that recruitment agencies can collect from the workers for processing their applications. Qualified applicants for clerks and sales persons will also have a minimum salary of QR1,200 (Php16,232).

“The Qatari labor law ensures the protection of foreign workers and what is expected of their employers is their welfare while they are staying here,” he noted.

The agreement set the minimum wage for OFWs since there are some nationalities who accept jobs for lesser wages. And there will be a joint commission that would meet once a year to address this problem and other issues that breach the agreement.

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