Jobs await Pinoys in Qatar

Many job opportunities await Filipinos in Qatar created mostly from the country's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

This was highlighted during the 2nd Joint Committee Meeting ( JCM) on Labor Matters between the Philippines and Qatar held recently in Doha.

The sectors offering the most opportunities for prospective overseas Filipino workers ( OFWs) include health, construction, services, and production.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs ( DFA), based on a report by Philippine Overseas Employment Administration ( POEA) chief Hans Leo J. Cacdac, who led the Philippine delegation to the JCM, the country received 78,426 job orders from Qatar.

On the other hand, based on information relayed by Qatar's Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Hussein bin Youssef Al- Mulla to the Philippine delegation, there are 94,289 visas reserved for Filipino workers that Qatar is hoping to be deployed soon. These are mostly in the health sector and in the ongoing rail project.

Deputy Minister Al- Mulla also informed the Philippine side that Article 33 of the Qatari Labor Law prohibits the payment of recruit- ment fees. Hence, POEA Administrator Cacdac promised to issue a circular warning prospective OFWs to Qatar from paying such fees to recruiters.

Qatar further announced that it is nearing completion of the drafting of a law to protect household service workers ( HSWs). Currently, HSWs are outside the jurisdiction of Qatari labor law.

Both sides agreed to exchange blacklists of erring recruitment agencies and white lists of good performing agencies.

The JCM also saw the two delegations discussing other issues, such as recruitment policies, dispute settlement, and bilateral pursuits under the Abu Dhabi Dialogue.