DAMMAM, 11 May 2007 — The demand for Filipino skilled workers and design engineers is increasing, according to Labor Attaché Delmer Cruz.
During last weekend’s celebration of the Philippine’s Labor Day and the 25th Anniversary of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Cruz told the community leaders that he received a lot of inquiries for Filipino workers in the Eastern Province, particularly for the ongoing projects of the petrochemical industries.
He said many of the companies complained that they could not hire manpower in the Philippines as there are no available workers who fit their requirements.
“There is also a huge demand for skilled workers, particularly welders, pipe-fitters, and oil-riggers. However, we are short of these skilled manpower to supply the needs in Saudi Arabia,” Cruz told Arab News.
He said has sent a report to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Manila to make the necessary recommendations in order for TESDA to develop more training programs to upgrade the skills of the Filipino workers there and enable them to compete in the growing manpower market in the oil, gas and petrochemical industry.
Just recently, the Samsung Saudi Arabia (SSA), a South Korean company currently engaged in a construction of a multi-million petrochemical project in Jubail, approached the Philippine Embassy to help them locate the needed qualified Filipino design engineers which are urgently needed.
Cruz said that Samsung had 40 ready visas in Manila to hire design engineers for process, rotating and stationary equipment, fired heater, piping, electrical, instrument and control, civil, structural, modelers and drafters.
In an interview with Arab News, Shin-Yul Kang, SSA vice president, confirmed that they are going to be awarded in the next few months two big petrochemical projects in Jubail.
However, Kang said, that until now they have not found any experienced Filipino design engineers in the Philippines. Perhaps the qualified ones are already working with other companies abroad, he said.
“We would like to ask the Philippine government to help Samsung to hire Filipino design engineers,” said Kang.
Sung-Jin Park, SSA corporate administrative manager, said that they are also hiring 20 fresh engineering graduates as part of their training assistance program to the Filipino workers.
The 20 new engineers, once hired, would first undergo on-the-job training in the Jubail site for two months. Thereafter, these trainees would be sent to South Korea for further training at the Samsung facility in Seoul.
“But this is for our future expansion. We are willing to help the Philippine government in training more engineers in the petrochemical field. But, at the moment, we are in urgent need of the design engineers for our two new projects” Park said.
In response, Labor Attaché Cruz said that he is writing all his colleagues in other countries to look for Filipinos who might wish to join Samsung Saudi Arabia as their next work destination.
