Guam needs more Filipino workers — DOLE
Several contractors in Guam have expressed intentions to hire more skilled Filipino workers amid the global health crisis, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Saturday.
The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Los Angeles (POLO-LA) has been receiving more requests from accredited employers under the construction sector in Guam for job order and employment contract verification, the department said.
According to Assistant Labor Attaché Armi Peña, employers in the construction service sector are opening their projects for skilled and semi-skilled Filipino workers and they have expressed intent to hire more skilled Filipinos for the construction and maintenance job categories.
Guam’s labor director shared the bright prospect of employing Filipino nationals under H2 visas as he explained the procedures and requirements for the continuing absorption of Filipino workers in Guam.
The employers, who are looking for workers, were identified as Northern Construction with 27 job orders; 5M Construction Corporation with 24 job orders, including 11 carpenters, 12 cement masons, one heavy equipment operator; and BME and Sons, Inc. with 10 job orders for carpenters.
“The Office of the Labor Attaché in LA has opened all communication lines to interview foreign principals for the documentary requirements to determine their veracity,” the agency said.
The verified and approved job orders by POLO–LA are Northern Construction’s 27 job orders with seven master employment contracts for three heavy equipment operators, three HVAC & refrigeration mechanics, eight carpenters, nine cement masons, two sheet metal workers, one mechanical engineer, and one civil engineer.
The labor office in LA further said that requests for accreditation for new employers continue to arrive.
The Architectural Painting Services, LLC intends to employ 50 painters with Venture Management Systems International Corporation as its Philippine counterpart recruitment agency.
Contrack Watts Inc. also intends to employ five reinforcing metal workers, four heavy equipment operators, and four pipefitters with Global Manpower as its Philippine recruitment agency.
A thorough background check to determine the track record and favorable standards for managing the employment of foreign workers of the applicant is being undertaken by the POLO, the department said.