Gov’t to woo OFWs back for infra program

The government wants to hold job fairs abroad to attract overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) back to the country amid the administration's massive infrastructure program, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.

According to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, he is urging government agencies to conduct overseas job fairs in partnership with private contractors to encourage skilled OFWs to work locally on infrastructure projects under the Build Build Build program.

Dominguez made the suggestion after learning that contractors are finding it hard to hire skilled workers such as technicians and welders.

"I am told that getting skilled workers is getting a little bit tough. I am talking about technicians, finishing, welders," Dominguez said.

"I had a talk yesterday and I said probably it's a good idea for our infrastructure agencies, together with the contractors, to hold a job fair abroad where we have Filipinos," he added.

The finance chief said the job fair should be organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

"Maybe the DOLE should organize that. I don't know if it has reached that level already, but we should be prepared to conduct a job fair," he said.

According to Dominguez, local construction firms need to compete with companies overseas and provide better compensation packages to address the high demand for skilled workers now.

Asked if repatriating OFWs would reduce remittances, a major driver of economic growth, Dominguez said the impact would not be significant.

"I don't think it will be that much. I mean, you know, that is $30 billion. That is a lot of money every year. But you know, they (OFWs) will be contributing locally, so it's not a loss to us," Dominguez said.

Meanwhile, Dominguez wants to discuss with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) the possibility of "reorienting" its programs so that they are geared towards high-demand jobs in line with the government's infrastructure initiative.

The Duterte administration is set to embark on a massive infrastructure buildup program dubbed as Build Build Build, which will require up to P8 trillion in investments over the medium term.

The program will help the government sustain the country's economic growth, encourage investments, generate jobs and ultimately, reduce poverty in the Philippines.

Dominguez earlier said the program is expected to be in full swing this year following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN), which would generate the money needed to fund the infrastructure projects.