Here's some good news for Filipinos who are eyeing employment in the American territory of Guam.
Labor Attaché in Los Angeles, Armi Evangel Peña bared on Friday, Aug. 13 that the prospects for employment in Guam will be bright for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the next decade.
"In the next 10 years, kailangan po ng around 11,500 workers or more. Two thousand to 3,000 pa lang nave-verify namin na job orders. 'Yung made-deploy po ay depende na po sa recruitment agency at tsaka sa pag-approve ng US visa sa US Embassy (There will be a need for 11,500 workers or more in the next 10 years. So far, we've only verified 2,000 to 3,000 job orders. The deployment with depend on the recruitment agency and the approval of US visas by the US Embassy)," Peña said during a virtual press briefing organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Manila.
Peña, who heads the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Los Angeles, California in the United States (US) said she was able to speak with DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III's counterpart in Guam regarding the employment situation there.
"Ang gusto nga po nila , yung 11,500 workers na demand nila sa Guam, gusto po nila lahat Pilipino. Hindi na po sila kukuha ng ibang lahi (What the employers want is to completely fill up Guam's demand for 11,500 workers with Filipinos. They don't want to hire other nationalities)," she claimed.
"Ayon po sa meeting ko with the Guam Department of Labor headed by David Bersolia...Ang peak po ng hiring ay sa 2023, 6,500 po na Filipino workers ang kailangan po nila (Based on my meeting with the Guam Department of Labor headed by David Bersolia...the peak of hiring will be in 2023, when 6,500 Filipinos workers are needed)," she explained.
Asked what type of jobs are in demand in Guam, Peña said that the majority of openings are in the construction industry. She also mentioned openings for journalists and accountants, but noted that these are few.
"Kailangan po nating ng mga (What we need are) electricians, welders, HVAC and refrigeration mechanics, construction equipment mechanics, plumbers and pipe fitters, operating engineers or heavy equipment operators, and of course carpenters, reinforcing metal workers, , structural steel workers, camp cooks... engineers," she enumerated.
Aside from securing a US visa, acquiring license and having the right skills and work experience are crucial factors in landing a job in Guam, the Labor Attaché said. "Ituloy lang po natin ang ating education at skills training, mahalaga ito sa construction sector (Let's continue our education and skills training since this is very important in the construction sector)."
"Sa katunayan, minamadali na po tayo ng Guam na ma-deploy lahat. Talagang gustong-gusto po nila ang Pilipino dahil very hardworking at maparaan ang Pilipino kumpara sa ibang lahi (In fact, Guam is rushing the deployment of workers there. They prefer Filipinos because compared to other nationalities, Filipinos are hardworking and creative)," Peña further said.
Guam is a US island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. It is known for its tropical beaches, Chamorro villages, and ancient latte-stone pillars.