Younger OFWs follow footsteps of parents in Saudi

Younger generations of Filipino workers are following the footsteps of their parents in Saudi Arabia, nearly 40 years since a boom attracted the first batch of OFWs to the kingdom, the Saudi Gazette reported. The Gazette said second- and third-generation Filipinos are taking up jobs in important sectors, including nursing and engineering. Many descendants of the original OFWs grew up in the Kingdom, the report said. “It is no wonder they are joining their parents in this country where they feel at home," the report quoted a supervising nurse as saying. The report said Filipinos are still the preferred workers in nursing, engineering, oil, and electricity industries. However, the Saudi Gazette said the biggest concentration of second- and third-generation overseas Filipino workers is in the nursing profession. An official of a Philippine job placement agency said young OFWs are often recommended by their parents to the same companies and hospitals where they were employed. The official noted that many parents who reach retirement age endorse their children for the same job in the companies where they worked. The report cited electrical engineer Gene Arizala who retired from the national electricity company in 2007 but was retained as a consultant. His son joined the company as junior engineer. “I am ready to return back home anytime I am told to quit; I have no worry, my son is now here working," Arizala said. - VVP, GMA News