THE popularity of the Middle East as the top destination region for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is now being challenged by Europe, as an increasing number of countries there are opening their doors to more migrants, bringing with it more employment opportunities and challenges.
With its temperate climate, high-paying jobs and comprehensive policies protecting migrants, Europe is attracting the attention of more OFWs and Philippine recruitment agencies (PRAs).
However, the opportunity provided by the Schengen visa to OFWs to move from one European country to another is posing a new challenge for both Philippine policy-makers and PRAs.
PRAs have witnessed the growing numbers of OFWs in Europe who are absconding from their contracts and are engaged in illegal third-country recruitment. This leaves the concerned OFWs vulnerable to exploitation.
The recruitment industry is now pushing for government deterrents against OFWs who abandon the employment contract that allowed them to enter Europe, and are now crossing borders between EU Schengen countries to seek even better employment opportunities on the continent.
Emerging market
Europe used to lag behind the Middle East and Asia in terms of attracting OFWs. In 2014, the Middle East became the top destination for 885,541 deployed OFWs. It was followed by Asia with 420,106 and Europe with 29,950.
A decade later the gaps among the three regions in terms of deployment figures grew narrower. In the latest and partial data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the number of deployed OFWs in the Middle East from January to September this year was 862,329. Asia still came in second place with 570,788 and followed by Europe with 83,591.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, the Philippine government observed a surge in the demand for OFWs in Europe, particularly Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary, as indicated by a spike in the number of DMW-accredited employers from the said countries.
Of these countries, Croatia registered the biggest growth in the number of accredited employers from 32 in 2022 to 76 this year. The number of accredited employers from the other countries registered a similar growth in 2023, but decreased this year.
Currently, DMW has registered the number of accredited employers for these European countries: 12 in Austria; 72 in Czech Republic; 50 in Germany; 33 in Romania; 19 in Finland; 26 in Slovenia; and 41 in Hungary.
Most of the available vacancies in these countries are in the hospitality, health care, and the manufacturing sectors.
The DMW attributed the trend to the growing labor shortage in the said countries.
“Well of course, market forces are in play. We know for sure that Central and Eastern Europe, having joined the European Union, see themselves competitive enough to develop and bring forth development and prosperity there,” DMW Secretary Hans J. Cacdac told reporters in a recent interview in Makati.
High mobility
IN an interview with the BusinessMirror, Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc. (PASEI) President Raquel Espina-Bracero said they observed the growing number of third-country jobseekers due to the Schengen visa, which allows holders to travel between 29 European countries.
On its website, EU defines the Schengen visa “as a permit for non-EU nationals to make a short, temporary visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period to a country in the Schengen area.” The Schengen visa is separate from the work visa issued by European countries.
“Actually I am one of those affected by runaways. We call them runaways. That is really problematic for us because the government cannot do anything about the cross-border [issue] since it is beyond their jurisdiction. That is the rules of the EU [European Union],” she said.
Bracero said her Philippine recruitment agency deploys OFWs to Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia and Serbia.
She lamented how the current rules of the government leave PRAs at a great disadvantage since they will be the ones to be held accountable by the DMW if they fail to report the runaway OFWs in Europe.
The recruitment leader noted that they also have the responsibility to repatriate the runaway OFWs if they get into trouble.
Higher pay
HER concerns were echoed by LBS E-Solutions Corp. President Lito B. Soriano, who said he also has OFWs in Europe who also run away from their initial host country after hearing of a better-paying job in another country within the continent.
“The problem now is there is an increasing number of runaways there. The nurses, the factory workers that are being deployed to Europe are running away or moving from their actual employer to another employer,” Soriano said.
He said PRAs usually lose money from such incidents since they are the ones who spend money for mobilization, including their recruitment document, visa, and ticket, only for their deployed OFWs to abscond from their contracts.
Soriano said LBS E-Solution suffered such losses when five of the 17 skilled OFWs they deployed for a shipyard project in Poland decided to transfer to Denmark before completing their employment contracts.
The concerned OFWs, he said, decided to become runaways despite having no placement fee, free medical and trade test, and an $850 salary.
The arrangement, Soriano said, also leaves the OFWs at risk since their contracts are no longer vetted by the DMW and also harms the reputation of the Philippines, when it comes to having reliable and professional migrant workers.
Labor exploitation
DURING her recent visit to the Migrant Workers Office in Geneva, Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) Executive Director Ellene Sana said she was informed of the said issue, which she said can lead to OFWs falling to labor exploitation in Europe.
She noted a similar incident was reported in 2019 involving some Filipino truck drivers in Western Europe, but now, she said it has spread to other sectors. Some workers, Sana said, would move to one country expecting a higher-paying job only to later find out the employment opportunity only lasts for a month.
Many of those affected, she said, would go to Geneva, Switzerland, which has liberal policies, when it comes to undocumented migrants.
“They have access to medical services regardless of your status. They will not ask you that [question] before they give you medical treatment,” Sana said.
“They also do not detain [undocumented migrants]. But they are now tightening their [rules] since they observed that people are going to Geneva,” she added.
Proposed solutions
TO address the issue, Bracero said they submitted a position paper containing their proposed measure to compel OFWs in Europe to complete their employment contracts.
Their recommendations include MWOs asking OFWs how they were able to reach Europe when verifying their contracts.
“If they arrive there through an agency, then that previous agency must be notified so they [MWO] will know if the OFWs absconded from their contract or if their departure [from their previous work] was okay,” Bracero said.
PASEI also wants PRAs to be exempted from their responsibility to repatriate runaway OFWs.
“We already submitted a position paper to [DMW]. They said they will come out with an advisory on runaways. But that is still pending. It will contain changes in the repatriation [rules]. So hopefully it will be positive to the PRAs,” she added.
Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI) Executive Director Jeremaiah M. Opiniano said such provision can be included in the Overseas Employment Contract of OFWs.
However, Opiniano said the best solution for the issue is for DMW to enter into bilateral labor agreements (BLA) with the host countries of OFWs in Europe.
The BLAs, he proposed, should set up migrant worker regulations and policies for all types of hiring and skills.
“If countries of destination all have migrant worker regulations, this guarantees sound recruitment from wherever they are,” Opiniano said.
Currently, DMW has in place a BLA and other signed instruments with Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania and Croatia. It still lacks such accord with Finland, Slovenia and Hungary.
For her part, Sana urged DMW to intensify its orientation to OFWs bound to Europe about the risk of third-country employment.
Dynamic policies
DMW Undersecretary Patricia Yvonne M. Cuanan said they are aware of the said issues and are now reviewing existing deployment policies to Europe.
“We are reviewing the [employment] contracts so it will not be used to abuse the [deployment] framework because there are those who take advantage of the situation. So we will see what the loopholes are, because Europe is a new market. So we have to really study how to take care of OFWs there,” Cuanan told the BusinessMirror in an interview.
Other interventions of DMW include signing bilateral BLA with European countries like Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania and Croatia; opening more MWOs in Europe.
Despite the risks of runaway OFWs, some PRAs like QuestCore Inc. are interested in deploying OFWs to Europe for its enormous potential.
QuestCore Inc., Business Development and Clients Relations Officer Nigel Matthew Cristobal said they are interested in opening their operations in Europe due to its large demand of migrant workers.
In its latest Overseas Employment Statistics, DMW said the number of deployed OFWs in Europe from January to September reached 83,591 from 64,522 in the same period last year.
Bracero said they expect the deployment number in Europe to increase in the coming years as it becomes more popular than the Middle East.
“It is more in Europe. Everybody wants to go to Europe,” she said.
