THE government is studying how to make Russia the next work destination for thousands of skilled workers who are being retrenched because of the Arabization policy in the Middle East, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said Monday.
Overseas Filipino workers are forecast to remit at least $29.7 billion this year, making the Philippines the world’s third largest recipient of remittances, according to the World Bank.
“I already sent a memo to President [Rodrigo Duterte] requesting him to include the possible deployment of skilled and professional workers to Russia,” Bello said, referring to the agenda of Duterte’s scheduled visit to Russia next year.
He also said there is a demand for construction and household service workers in Russia and it will be a good alternative to the contracting jobs market in the Middle East because of declining oil prices.
“We noticed that there is a decline in the demand for OFWs in the Middle East. We have to look for other countries where there are demands for our OFWs,” he added.
In 2014, there were about 4,000 Filipinos working in construction, hotels, and households in Russia and Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev said Russia is still looking to hire more Filipino household workers and caregivers aside from investing in the Philippines’ agriculture and oil industry.
“We are willing to sit down and discuss models and specific projects. Your country has a lot to offer including agriculture, oil industry,” Khovaev said. “As for the volume of trade, it is up to business people to sit down together.”
Khovaev also said that there are now job vacancies for Filipinos seeking work in Russia because Russian families are now hiring Filipino household workers because of the quality of their work and their facility with the English language.
“English language is not widespread in Russia. But currently, Russian families would want to hire Filipinas as household worker and caregivers because they can teach their kids how to speak in English,” the Russian envoy said.
So far, he said, there are 4,000 Filipinos working in Russia and Moscow is also looking to boost both country’s tourism industries.
Khovaev said Moscow is also looking to boost tourism between the two countries, adding that only 25,000 Russian nationals have visited the Philippines compared to the millions who have traveled to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Khovaev then urged the Philippines to start being more aggressive and consistent in promoting tourism to foreign travelers because there are 150-million Russians who travel or go on vacation every year.
The Russian envoy also disclosed that his government plans to establish a cultural office in Manila to intensify education, cultural awareness and encourage more young people to learn Russian language and vice versa.
