Philippine unemployment rises and prolonged Mideast conflict hits tourism in Southeast Asia

More than 8,500 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have been repatriated from the Middle East since the start of the US-Israel-Iran war, according to the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

- Raymund Villanueva [e-mail]

Many of them attended the various job fairs organised by DMW on Labour Day, hoping to land another job abroad.

Becky, a former domestic worker in Dubai, went to the DMW job fair in Quezon City, seeking another overseas contract. She said she has to work two more years abroad as her younger daughter is still in her third year of college studying computer science.

"I could not handle those emergency alerts. That was why I asked to be repatriated last March," she said. "But I still need a job and I could not find one in the Philip pines," she said.

Becky was among the thousands who might be hired for the 3,400 overseas job vacancies offered across the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia. DMW secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that jobs in healthcare, medical, en gineering, technical trades, con struction, and manufacturing were also offered. He added 12 land and sea-based recruitment agen cies have participated.