Wanted: 10,000 OFW's in Alberta Canada | DOLE | Skilled workers | professionals

Good news to all Pinoys who wants to work abroad specially in Canada. Western province of Alberta needs at least 10,000 Filipino workers mostly for highly skilled workers and professionals for its oil and gas industry as well as construction workers for its infrastructure projects.

Workers who qualify for work in Alberta will receive a monthly salary of 6,000 Canadian Dollars (US$ 5,700) for highly skilled welders, C$3,800 (US$ 3,600) for pipe fitters.

Aside from the oil and gas workers, Alberta would also require workers for food counters such as food attendants, food processors and butchers as well as nurses and caregivers. Visit POEA website for more info.

OFW inflows seen to hit $16.2B in 2008

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) expects total remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to reach $16.2 billion in 2008 with labor deployment increasing despite the slowdown in the US economy.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. told reporters over the weekend that gross OFW inflows would expand by eight percent next year, including remittances that go through informal and non-bank channels.

Remittances that go through banks, on the other hand, are projected to grow at a faster rate of 10% to reach $15.7 billion compared to only $14 billion this year.

According to Tetangco, the latest estimates of the BSP also upgraded the full-year projection for 2007 when OFW remittances are expected to increase faster by seven percent.

Labor deployment, however, has been criticized by economist as a "cop-out" as the Arroyo administration opted to train workers for off-shore employment rather than working to create higher-paying local job.

Classified by type of worker, the number of deployed land-based workers rose by 10.7% to 64,066 in October, while the number of deployed sea-based workers contracted by 10.7% to 23,992.

Sea-based workers according to POEA, declined due to delays in the workers' visa issued by host countries and increasing competition from workers from other countries. "Nonetheless, the increase in the deployment of land-based workers in October moderated the year-to-date contraction to only 1.1 percent to reach 915,333.

aticle from The Philippine STAR by Mynardo Macaraig