DFA exec: 150,000 Pinoy professionals in Saudi at risk of losing jobs

A senior official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said some 150,000 mid-level Filipino professionals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) are at risk of losing their jobs because of the "Saudization" policy. The official, who requested anonymity, said the Philippine government needs to address the impact of Saudization for some 1.4 million Filipino migrant workers in Saudi, mostly mid-level professionals like engineers, supervisors, assistant managers and technicians. "In the light of the Arab Spring revolutions that started in Tunisia, that escalated in Egypt, Yemen and Libya, the Saudi government will strictly implement the Saudization program that aims to provide jobs to Saudi nationals to be able to pacify growing unrest," the official said. On June 11, the Saudi government announced that it would strictly implement the Saudization program to provide employment opportunities to around half a million jobless Saudi nationals. The Saudi government is expected to implement the Saudization program until August 30. The policy will categorize private companies based on the number of Saudi nationals being hired. The diplomat explained that the Saudization program began in the 1990's but private employers did not comply with Saudi rules and still opted to employ foreign workers. Meanwhile, DFA undersecretary for administration Rafael Seguis said the Philippine government has no option but to comply with the Saudization program. "What we can do is to find measures to mitigate the impact of the Saudization program on our Filipino workers there," Seguis said. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) estimates that some 2.9 million Filipino workers were affected by uprisings in the Middle East. These workers reportedly send around US$3 billion in annual remittances to the Philippines. - VVP/HS, GMA News