DOLE warns Pinoys vs fake job openings in Spain

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday warned Filipino jobseekers against falling for scams claiming to offer jobs in Spain. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz warned prospective overseas Filipino workers against false information about employment opportunities in Spain. “The prospects for the employment of migrants in Spain is not good, so Filipinos who may be eyeing work in Spain should not believe any information saying otherwise," Baldoz said in a news release posted on the DOLE website. “I would, therefore, advise OFWs to be wary of offers of employment in Spain, particularly in construction, real estate, and manufacturing. Migrant workers in these sectors are mostly Latin Americans so much so that Asians, such as Filipinos, may find hard to get any employed in those sectors," she added. She advised prospective OFWs to verify any information on the Spain labor market with proper authorities such as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, or the Spanish Embassy in Manila. Prospects 'not desirable' Citing a report of Philippine Labor Attache to Spain Ramon Tionloc Jr., Baldoz said unemployment among Filipinos already in Spain remained relatively low. However, according to the DOLE news release, said "prospects for the employment of more OFWs is not desirable." Tionloc's report indicated most Filipinos in Spain are employed in the bar, restaurants, and hotel sector, which suffered from a slowdown in 2009 and 2010. The slowdown reportedly created underemployment among some Filipinos whose number of working hours was reduced. It is only now that the sector is slowly recovering, Tionloc said. Tionloc noted in his report that Spain ended the first quarter of 2011 with an unemployment rate of 21.3 percent, the highest in the European Union. - VVP, GMA News