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Buhay Overseas Filipino

The Growing number of OFWs and OFW jobs in Middle East (2008)

The Middle East region has always been a favorite destination of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consistently tops the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA’s list of top OFW destinations worldwide. However, the year 2007 starts carrying a promise that the coming years would be exceptionally good for OFWs.

In 2007, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced that more jobs will be available for OFWS in the Middle East countries like Bahrain, UAE, Lebanon, and others.

For the next three years in Bahrain, there is an estimate of 8,600 job opportunities. In United Arab Emirates (UAE) there is an estimate of 44,340 job opportunities while there are 32,041 in Kuwait. An estimate of 42, 851 jobs awaits OFWs in Qatar while there are 10,500 jobs in Oman. There are also 1, 000 employment opportunities in Lebanon, 600 in Jordan, and 7,500 in Libya. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the most number of jobs with 360,000.

The available jobs offer better salary and does not include the demand for domestic helpers. The government agency (DOLE) aims to deploy OFWs to quality jobs overseas. According to a source from DOLE, "The Philippines overall is looking to fill the projected manpower demand of more than half a million jobs in nine Middle Eastern countries over the next three years, as a boom in the jobs market is expected once again in the important region."

The demand for workers would be for the following industries: energy, petrochemical, construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, hotels and restaurants, aviation, steel, tourism, medical and service industries.

The growing number of OFWs in the Middle East points to this region as the starting point of study into tapping the OFW market. Given this, Saudi Arabia comes up as the most viable country in the Middle East to look into tapping the OFW market because it has the most number of OFWs or deployed workers each year.

a community organization dedicated to providing information and service to Overseas Filipinos in the United States (California- Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County,Hawaii etc), Middle East (Saudi Arabia, etc), Japan, etc.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, Mabuhay ang Pinoy!

“Saudisation” - News for OFWs in Saudi Arabia

Starting a few years ago, the Saudi Arabian government has imposed a Saudization rule where companies were encouraged to hire employees locally rather than source them abroad. Saudisation refers to a policy the government set in 2003 to reduce the rate of unemployment among Saudi Arabian nationals. It required contractors to have at least 10 percent locals in their on-site work force.

However, this rule has met with little success as a lot of companies still look for employees from other countries such as the Philippines. Filipino laborers stand a better chance of getting hired in Saudi Arabia following the Kingdom's decision to open up its labor market to more foreign workers by reducing its “Saudisation" quota from 10 to 5 percent in order to meet rising demand in construction sites, according to a report. The Arabian Business online news said the 50% cut in the “Saudisation" quota was prompted by a severe labor shortage which has so far hampered construction activity. It was meant to encourage contractors to bid for more work in the Kingdom.

The report quoted Ahmed Arees, project manager of Saudi Binladin Group, as saying that the industries such as construction has found the Saudisation policy difficult to implement because of the locals reluctance to do the on-site job.

He said other Gulf States like Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have adopted a similar policy as an incentive to nationals to enter the job market and reduce dependence on foreign laborers.

"Saudi nationals usually take on administration jobs, not on-site work, which then makes it inevitable to employ foreign workers. This is the main reason why reducing the percentage has helped contractors.”Saudi Arabia’s labor force is largely coming from Southeast Asia, with the Philippines having been preferred by many construction companies while those doing managerial staff work are mostly Europeans or Americans.

Saudi Arabia accounts for 28. 4 percent, or 223, 459, out of 788, 070 land-based OFWs deployed in 2006, which was 15 percent more than the 194, 350 new hires and re-hires recorded in 2005, based on data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Of this figure, new hires accounted for 28.5 percent, or 90, 604 out of 317, 680 OFWs who left the country for the first time to work in the Kingdom. In 2005, there were 65, 259 new hires, or 22.5 percent of the 289, 981 OFWs deployed.

Construction workers accounted for 14 percent or 43, 040 of the 308, 142 total new hires in 2006. Factory workers stood also at 14 percent, with 43, 234 new hires while household and related workers topped the occupational grouping with 29.7 percent share or 91, 451, of whom 89,861 were women.

Life as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW)

Living Overseas

You've done it.

After all of your careful preparations and travels, you're living a new life in a foreign country.

Now it's time to realize all of the dreams you had when you first pondered a move to another part of the world. Life as an Overseas Filipino Worker is rich and has many rewards, but it also requires a conscious effort to truly assimilate into a new culture.

Everyone who moves to another country goes through a cultural adjustment cycle. Some take longer to go through the cycle than others. We've got a few ideas to help you on your way, and to enjoy the journey from start to finish.

First, do your best to learn the language and the local culture. As a pinoy abroad, you will quickly find out that business communications (verbal and written) will be very different from basic language skills that you get by with at the market or in leisure travel. You will have to work on your language skills regularly if you are not a native speaker. Be prepared to dedicate time to this endeavor. It will be critical to your survival. Also, the more you learn about your new home, the better you will be able to fit into your new environment. Understanding the history, current events and politics of your new country will help you to assimilate.

Secondly, look for Filipino Expat (Pinoy) Clubs - It is so important to understand that you are not the first person to move overseas. If there are expat clubs in your area, you should take advantage of them and all that they have to offer.

Take advantage of being overseas - Many pinoys move overseas and put off doing many of the activities they dreamed about until it is too late. Don't be one of them! This will also cut down on your idle time, too much of which can lead you to question whether or not you made the right decision.

Dating - Predictably, singles often have a very different experience living overseas than their married counterparts. Navigate a new and probably more intimidating dating scene with other "pinoys".

After all, if you live the life abroad you dreamed about, you'll think about home a lot less!

OFWs DEALING WITH HOMESICKNESS

Homesick Blues

We all like comfort, we all like things we know well and understand. Home is safe - home is easy. Move away from it for a bit and you soon realize you miss a lot of things. You miss home most when things go wrong such as when you're down or sick. Birthdays and Christmas can be low points too.

Adjusting to a new surrounding, expectations, friends, and work routine takes a fair amount of time and patience. Moving away from home, voluntarily as in the case of overseas workers, expatriates and students has always led people to feel homesick.

In the case of expatriates, for instance, the depressive feeling of homesickness may cause the risk of losing their jobs, shame of being labelled as incompetent, the risk of not being able to move up the ladders in their career, or the prospect of unemployment, etc. By nature, we tend to resist change and struggle to hold on to familiar surroundings like the comforts of home, family, and friends. If you're struggling to beat this depressive feeling, here are some homesickness tips to pick you up.

Keep in touch with your parents, wife/husband back home through email and digital pictures. This will help both of you adjust. But if you are lazy to write a letter and the cost of regular phone calls is the reason for your ten day fast, it's probably time to make use of more modern technology. Send e-mail to each other or set up your own web site for correspondence from friends around the country.

A trip to the local food snack hang out or food joint can cure most anything. A roommate, friend, or someone you can confide in can help make your transition from home a little easier. You might even discover your friend is struggling with the same problems as you. Every once in awhile, watch CD movies and search out a favorite food or cook it at home. Familiar things from back home will cheer everyone up.

Talk about being homesick with your friends/ co-workers rather than bottling it up and hoping it will go away. This helps enormously and goes a long way to creating that 'we are in this together feeling.

Try writing in a journal, diary or blog the next time you are feeling down. Just write down what's on your mind and express some of your worries and fears. Over time, you can reflect on what you wrote and see how far you've come. You may even take up blogging as a hobby.

Social groups and events are a core part of your work experience. You could likewise volunteer to work with other expatriates or overseas workers from your own country at an expatriate club or organization. You might build new relationships and enjoy the satisfaction of helping others.

Now is a good time to remember your dreams and think about how much you can accomplish with a little effort and hard work. Write down what you want to accomplish and commit yourself to working towards your goals. Your attitude and confidence will improve as you progress.

See what recreational activities you can discover in your area. Find out what's happening in your area. Attend a sporting event, concert or company sponsored program. Plan a weekend get-away with friends. Exploring your new surrounding will add some excitement to the daily grind of work. You may even meet new friends or find a favorite hang out.

Preventive solutions may be deeply rooted in the ability of the organisations to ensure adequate preparations for their expatriates before departure. A little homesickness is normal as you adjust to your new surroundings, but you can't let it dampen your spirit. Preparation should chiefly be concerned with informing oneself about the circumstances in the host country; it should also crucially highlight the possibility that you may suffer some social and psychological isolation for some time before you become acquainted with the new environment, i.e. both physical and social. As part of the preventive methods, you should include plans for frequent return visits back home. Although this may add to your overall expenses, it will still remain cheaper than losing their jobs.

Possibly, you may also request that a relative of yours such as your parent, spouse and children, could be sponsored by your company to visit you occasionally. This may be the mother, father or other relatives. This approach is likely to ensure that there is not substantial breakdown in the family relationship and reduce the feeling of missing dear ones, which is often at the centre of homesickness.

Reducing homesickness could also take into account an attempt to rebuild a socio-cultural network, however artificial it may be. For instance, in areas such as Saudi Arabia, Middle East nations or U.S.A. where Asians, Filipinos and American expatriates work for their respective companies, there could be joint efforts to set an expatriate network (e.g. Overseas Filipino Workers clubs) that could also include host country nationals. Cultural practices such as nightclubs, religious institutions (church, mosque) schools or childcare facilities could be set up jointly to provide a more cultural sensitive network for the expatriates. This is far from implying that parent company nationals and third country nationals should cut themselves off the host society. On the contrary they learn from each other’s adjustment difficulties and successes at the same time as combating somehow the effects of home sickness.

Homesickness is a critical issue for migrants and overseas workers. This could affect expatriates and multinational organizations to a large extent. Homesickness could be a critical factor affecting adaptation and adjustment and should require greater attention than it receives at present.

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Overseas Filipinos Insights

Being away from the homeland can stick into the nerves of the expatriate who wants to have a better life for their families. Filipinos have suffered a dire social condition called, "Brain Drain" which isn't really a phenomenal sensation -- after it has become rampant through the last 4 years. One would tend to reminisce towards the kind of life they had with their families, how they spent time well, and how they lived together.

This is such a heart-shattering fact for overseas Filipinos who, up to now, don't have their families with them. All the mental, emotional, psychological, spiritual stresses pour down to them; they must seek asylum from this boiling cauldron of misery.

Although hope seems faint, there are a plethora of alternatives the expatriate can choose from, most of which require minimal effort and expenses. A walk in the park, a stroll in the suburbs, or the occassional coffee-time-do-nothing sessions during the late afternoon will immensely help the expatriate from losing his or her sanity.

The strongest force that relieves an expatriate from homesickness, however, is the power of friendship. Friendships may seem to take a long time to form in a foreign land, but once these bonds are established, they would assimilate every aspect of homesickness, hence lessening their burdens.

Being an overseas Filipino myself, I cannot help but to look at the times I spent well in our homeland. My friends had wished me a good time, a safe trip, and a happy stay here in Canada, but this seems to be a far-fetched fantasy from what I'm going through.

One of my college friends from the Ateneo told me that I would do either two things in Canada: to live there and be changed by the Canadian landscape, culture, and spirit; or to live there and bring in the change--serve as the catalyst for change; bring what I have accomplished in the Philippines here.

And who wouldn't want to do the latter?

- Karlo, Canada