Filipinos: Global Workforce

13Jul08

A T’mate from KSA provided the batch with this article from a local paper;

Imagine a World without Filipinos

“We have to remember that we are very much dependent on the Filipinos around us. We could die a slow death if they choose to leave us.”

• 1, 019,577 workers in Saudi Arabia
• 20% of the world seafarers – 1.2M Filipino sailors
• 23% of the world’s nurses

Not mention the hundreds of thousands of domestic helps!

Of course our fellowmen will not leave their jobs to go back, not until Philippines is in great shape. In fact, although they are not considered as a ‘domestic product/services’ for statistical purposes, the dollar remittances are keeping us afloat.

What made me think though is the corellation of our collaboration with the Middle East. Similar to the rice crisis the government was able to strike deals to major suppliers such as Vietnam and Cambodia because most of the top producers came to the Philippines to study how to grow rice – through IRRI. And now with the oil crisis, following the same leverage can’t we get bargain to middle eastern producers since we supply them of quality workforce.

Tit for Tat.

Filed under: Knowledge Management   |  3 Comments
Tags: filipinos, KSA, nurses, OCW, OFW, oil, Saudi Arabia, seafarers, singapore, UK