This is not surprising especially if one considers that data on the top 10 destinations of OFWs worldwide for the same period. Topping the list is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia followed by another Middle Eastern country, the United Arab Emirates. A total of five countries from the region (Qatar 4th, Kuwait 6th, and Bahrain10th) landed in the top ten. The percentage share of these five countries from total land-based deployment from 2003 to 2009 steadily went up, from a mere 41 percent in 2003 to a very respectable 62 percent share in 2009.

Indeed, Saudi Arabia is the number one choice of OFWs looking for gainful employment. For 2009 alone, 291, 419 OFWs entered Kingdom. This figure is 45 percent of that year’s total deployment to the Middle East, (which was 700,000) and 27 percent of the worldwide deployment, (which was 1,092,162).

A big chunk of those who chose to work in the Kingdom were “new hires” (42 percent or 123,048 workers). As compared to “re-hires,” “new hires” are those who are/will be working in the Kingdom for the first time, although not necessarily first time to work abroad. It is significant to note that only 5 percent of these “new hires” fall under the category of household service workers, formerly called domestic helpers. This can be attributed to the efforts of the Philippine government  to shifting the focus of developing its manpower advantage from the low-skilled type to the high-skilled and professional categories.

Moreover, recent years saw an increase in the demand for professional and highly skilled workers in the Kingdom. Thus, nurses, teachers, caregivers, IT workers, engineers have continually trooped to the Kingdom in the last few years. With the recent visit in the Kingdom of the deans of medical and nursing colleges and universities in the Philippines with a view to institutionalizing a specialized training course for Filipino nurses, it is expected that more and more workers in the medical and allied medical field will enter the Kingdom as it further expands the provision of quality health-care services to urban and rural population centers in its 13 regions.

A big pull factor attracting professional/highly skilled Filipinos to work in the Kingdom is the much improved financial package being offered by most companies.

This usually includes the opportunity to bring the worker’s family to the Kingdom. Aside from the monetary aspect and fringe benefits, Saudi laws, rules and regulations protecting women’s rights and promoting their welfare attract many OFWs to choose the Kingdom over other destinations.

On the other side of the equation, OFWs for more than three decades have proven themselves equal to be expectations and standards set by their employers in Kingdom. Having earned respect and admiration for their work ethic, competence and trustworthiness, they have turned the Philippines into one of the most preferred sources of manpower for the largest economy in the Middle East.