There is no doubt that Spain is an attractive destination for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) so it is easy for illegal recruiters to lure unsuspecting applicants. However, being an ideal destination doesn’t mean that there are employment opportunities for OFWs there.

In fact, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued an advisory to remind aspiring OFWs to be cautious of scams that promises lucrative job offers in Spain.

The Labor chief, Rosalinda Baldoz said in an article posted in the official website of DOLE, “The prospects for the employment of migrants in Spain is not good, so Filipinos who may be eyeing work in Spain should not believe any information saying otherwise."

She added, “I would, therefore, advise OFWs to be wary of offers of employment in Spain, particularly in construction, real estate, and manufacturing. Migrant workers in these sectors are mostly Latin Americans so much so that Asians, such as Filipinos, may find hard to get any employed in those sectors."

Baldoz also advised OFWs to always check the veracity of a job offer by inquiring on proper authorities such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or the Spanish Embassy in Manila.

The report from Ramon Tionloc Jr., the Philippine Ambassador to Spain states that unemployment rate of Filipinos in Spain is considered relatively low. However, a press release from DOLE said, "prospects for the employment of more OFWs is not desirable."

The Philippine Ambassador reported that most Filipinos in Spain are working in the hotel and restaurant industry which experienced a setback in 2009 and 2010.

Tionloac also informed that the slowdown causes some Filipinos to be underemployed wherein their working hours are reduced. He also said that that the said sector is only starting to recover.

He said that at the end of the first quarter of 2011, the unemployment rate of Spain is 21.3% which is the highest in the European Union.